You Should Be Mine
by AshleySue
Summary: A "what if" story. In Definitely Dead, when Quinn picks Sookie up for their first date, Eric is there, and tells Quinn that Sookie has been his, and will be again. When Quinn asks Sookie if she is Eric's or not, she says "not." But, what if she hadn't?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Okay, so here's the first chapter for my new fic. So, let me start off my saying I own nothing, it all belongs to Charlaine Harris. I'd also like to dedicate this fic (I know that sounds sappy, so sue me) to the wonderful, awesome Sunkisz. She has had so many wonderful "what if" fics, that I couldn't resist trying my own! So, give it a read, and let me know what you think!**

**The beginning part in italics is taken directly from Definitely Dead. Just to make sure we're all on the same page, before this point, Pam has told Sookie that Eric wants her to come to Fangtasia, but Sookie said no because she has a date with Quinn; Eric has sent Sookie the proofs of his photoshoot for the naked calendar; The Pelt family has ambushed Sookie at Merlotte's to ask if she knows anything about Debi's disappearance; and Bill has asked Sookie if she would mind if he went along when she goes to New Orleans to clean out Hadley's apartment.**

_I walked through the house to make sure it looked nice, since Quinn was picking me up. Not even letting myself think, I changed my sheets and cleaned my bathroom – not that I had any intention of falling into bed with Quinn, but it's better to be prepared than not, right? Besides, it just made me feel good, knowing that everything was clean and nice. Fresh towels in both bathrooms, a light dusting around the living room and bedroom, a quick circuit with the vacuum. Before I got in the shower, I even swept the porches, though I knew they would be covered again in a yellow haze before I got back from my date._

_I let the sun dry my hair, probably getting it full of pollen, too. I put on my makeup carefully; I didn't wear a lot, but it was fun to apply if for something more interesting than work. A little eye shadow, a lot of mascara, some powder and lipstick. Then I put on my new date underwear. It made me feel special from the skin on out: midnight blue lace. I looked in the full-length mirror to check out the effect. I gave myself a thumbs-up. You have to cheer for yourself, right?_

_The outfit I'd bought from Tara's Togs was royal blue and made out of some heavy knit that hung beautifully. I zipped up the pants and put on the top. It was sleeveless and it wrapped across my breasts and tied. I experimented with the depth of cleavage, at last picking a degree of revelation that I was sure toed the line between sexy and cheap._

_I got my black wrap out of the close, the one Alcide had given me to replace on Debbie Pelt had vandalized. I'd need it later in the evening. I slipped into my black sandals. I experimented with jewelry, finally settling on a plain gold chain (it had been my grandmother's) and plain ball earrings._

_Hah!_

_There was a knock on the front door, and I glanced at the clock, a bit surprised that Quinn was fifteen minutes early. I hadn't heard his truck, either. I opened the door to find not Quinn, but Eric, standing there._

_I am sure he enjoyed my gasp of surprise._

_Never open your door without checking. Never assuming you know who's on the other side. That's why I'd gotten the peepholes! Stupid me. Eric must have flown, since I couldn't see a car anywhere._

"_May I come in?" Eric asked politely. He had looked me over. After appreciating the view, he realized it hadn't been designed with him mind. He wasn't happy. "I suppose you're expecting company?"_

"_As a matter of fact I am, and actually, I'd rather you stayed on that side of the doorsill," I said. I stepped back to he couldn't reach me._

"_You told Pam that you didn't want to come to Shreveport," he said. Oh yes, he was angry. "So, here I am, to find out why you don't answer my call." Usually, his accent was very slight, but tonight I noticed that it was pronounced._

"_I didn't have time," I said. "I'm going out tonight."_

"_So I see," he said, more quietly. "Who are you going out with?"_

"_Is that really any of your business?" I met his eyes, challengingly._

"_Of course it is," he said._

_I was disconcerted. "And that would be why?" I rallied a little._

"_You should be mine. I have slept with you, I have cared for you, I have…assisted you financially."_

"_You paid me money you owed me, for services rendered," I answered. "You may have slept with me, but not recently, and you've shown no signs of wanting to do so again. If you care for me, you're showing it in a might strange way. I never heard that 'total avoidance aside from orders coming from flunkies' was a valid way to show caring." This is a jumbled sentence, okay, but I knew he got it._

"_You're calling Pam a flunky?" He had a ghost of a smile on his lips. Then he got back to being miffed. I could tell because he began dropping his contractions. "I do not have to hang around you to show you. I am sheriff. You…you are in my retinue."_

_I knew my mouth was hanging open, but I couldn't help it. "Catching flies," my grandmother had called that expression, and I felt like I was catching plenty of them. "Your retinue?" I managed to splutter. "Well, __**up**__ you and your retinue. You don't tell me what to do!"_

"_You are obliged to go with me to the conference," Eric said, his mouth tense and his eyes blazing. "That was why I called you to Shreveport, to talk to you about travel time and arrangements."_

"_I'm not obliged to go anywhere with you. You've been outranked, buddy."_

"_Buddy? __**Buddy**__?"_

_And it would have degenerated from there, if Quinn hadn't pulled up. Instead of arriving in his truck, Quinn was in a Lincoln Continental. I felt a moment of sheer snobbish pleasure at the thought of riding in it. I'd selected the pants outfit at least partly because I thought I'd be scrambling up into a pickup, but I was just as pleased to slither into a luxurious car. Quinn came across the lawn and mounted the porch with an understated speed. He didn't look as though he was hurrying, but suddenly he was there, and I was smiling at him, and he looked wonderful. He was wearing a dark gray suit, a dark purple shirt, and a tie that blended the two colors in a paisley pattern. He was wearing one earring, a simple gold hoop._

_Eric had fang showing._

"_Hello, Eric," Quinn said calmly. His deep voice rumbled along my spine. "Sookie, you look good enough to eat." He smiled at me, and the tremors along my spine spread into another area entirely. I would never have believed that in Eric's presence I could think another man was attractive. I'd have been wrong to think so._

"_You look very nice, too," I said, trying not to beam like an idiot. It was not cool to drool._

_Eric said, "What have you been telling Sookie Quinn?"_

_The two tall men looked at each other. I didn't believe I was the source of their animosity. I was a symptom, not the disease. Something lay underneath this._

"_I've been telling Sookie that the queen requires Sookie's presence at the conference as part of her party, and that the queen's summons supercedes yours," Quinn said flatly._

"_Since when has the queen given orders through a shifter?" Eric said, contempt flattening his voice._

"_Since this shifter performed a valuable service for her in the line of business," Quinn answered, with no hesitation. "Mr. Catalaides suggested to Her Majesty that I might be helpful in a diplomatic capacity, and my partners were glad to give me extra time to perform any duties she might give me."_

_I wasn't totally sure I was following this, but I got the gist of it._

_Eric was incensed, to use a good entry from my Word of the Day calendar. In fact, his eyes were almost throwing sparks, he was so angry. "This woman has been mine, and she will be mine," he said, in tones so definite I thought about checking my rear end for a brand._

_Quinn shifted his gaze to me. "Babe, are you his, or not?" he asked._

I was prepared to say, "Not," but, for some reason the word just wouldn't come. Instead, I stood there with my mouth hanging open, looking like an idiot. Was I Eric's? No, I wasn't, that was for sure. But, what suddenly seemed like the more important issue, was, did I want to be?

Before this evening, if you'd asked me if I thought Eric wanted me, I would've said no. Apparently, I would've been wrong. And, I did **miss** Eric, or, at least I missed **my** Eric. Our time together when he had no knowledge of his past was so wonderful. He was an interested companion and a good listener, to say nothing of his lovemaking. But, did I really want to get involved with the true Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5?

I knew I didn't want to get sucked into his world, full of vampire politics. But, for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to tell Quinn that, no, I wasn't Eric's in any way. Eric had done some really great things for me. He'd put himself on the line for me more than once. I owed him my life, a few times over. He obviously didn't understand why we weren't together. The least I could do is clarify the situation for him.

Before I could talk myself out it, I turned to Quinn and said, "Quinn, I'm sorry, but, I think we should reschedule our evening for another time. There's a few things Eric and I need to discuss."

Eric's face took on his normal smirk of satisfaction as he gazed at Quinn, who, suddenly seemed to be quite confused. I was fairly certain that when he asked if I was Eric's, he thought he knew exactly what the answer was going to be. Doesn't he know what happens when you assume?

"Sure thing, babe," he said, and leaned over to kiss me. I turned my head slightly, and his lips brushed my cheeks instead of my lips. I was positive that Quinn was going to take that as rejection, but, I simply didn't think it would be appropriate for me to kiss Quinn in front of Eric. "I'll give you a call in the next couple of days," he said, and walked back to his car and left.

I turned to Eric, who was still looking very smug, and said, "Eric, won't you please come in?" as flatly as I could. The tone of my voice finally seemed to cause him to realize he hadn't won. He followed me into the house, and sat down on the couch.

"Can I offer you a blood?" I asked. I didn't feel like being very hospitable, but, it was so ingrained that I couldn't help but ask.

"No, thank you."

We sat in a moment of awkward silence, Eric's eyes never leaving me, while I twisted my hands together and tried to look anywhere but at him. "Listen, Eric, I'm going to be completely honest with you're here, okay? Even if you don't agree with what I have to say, I ask that you at least hear me out." He inclined his head in a show of agreement, and I continued. "Eric, when all is said and done, I'm not yours. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, we had a sexual relationship while you were staying here with me, but that's been over for quite some time, now. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy it, because I did.

"I know that you're very frustrated that you don't remember it at all. And, I'm sorry that it makes you feel like you've lost control, I really am. But, truthfully, I would give up every memory I had of those days if it meant that we could go back to the way we were before you were ever cursed." His eyebrows drew together, and I was fairly certain he was misinterpreting my meaning. "I'm not saying that I wish it had never happened. I just miss the relationship we had before. The friendship."

I couldn't help myself, and finally looked directly at him. He seemed deep in thought.

"Sookie," he began, "You of all people should know that once something has happened, you cannot go back to the way things were before it occurred. The world does not operate that way. Yes, I do wish that, like you, I had a perfect recollection of those days when you and I were together. But, I do not think you completely understand **why** my lack of memory is so frustrating."

I snorted. "Oh, I think I've got a pretty good idea."

He didn't attempt to hide his incredulity. "Then, by all means, enlighten me. Tell me what it is that I am feeling."

"Well, for one thing, we both know that you wish you could remember the sex." He inclined his head, letting he know he wasn't going to argue with me on this point. So, I continued. "Plus, knowing how much you enjoy a good fight, I'm sure you wish you could remember the actual battle with the witches." He nodded again. "And I'm sure that you wish you could remember the details of how I killed Debi Pelt, and where you hid her body, so that you could have that much more power over me."

He raised his eyebrows and just watched me for a moment. I was beginning to feel a little like a science project. "I must admit that I am surprised, Sookie. I've always been aware that, although you are unfortunately uneducated, you are not by any means unintelligent. Your powers of perception and optimism have always amazed me. But then, every now and then, you say or do something to completely contradict that assessment."

"Are you saying I'm wrong, Eric?"

"That is **exactly** what I'm saying, Sookie my dear. I will admit that, yes, I would be pleased if I could remember what it was like to watch you kill that murderous bitch. And, yes, I wish I could remember exactly where I put her. But, I do not wish these things so that I could have power over you."

To my amazement, he stood and actually began to pace. Was he nervous about something? "Then tell me the true reason, Eric," I said, hoping he'd continue.

"I wish to protect you."

"Protect me? From what?"

"From any retribution anyone might wish for her death. She tried to kill you, on more than one occasion I might add. From the way you describe the situation, I do not doubt that you were saving both your own life, and mine, by killing her. Your own personal grief about this is more punishment that you deserve. You should not have to worry about it any longer."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Eric, I appreciate your concern, really I do. But, **I'm** the one that killed her. I've made my bed, and now I have to lie in it."

He stayed motionless and silent for a long moment, and I began to wonder if he'd gone into down time. Finally, he spoke again. "Tell me, Sookie, what would you consider to be a valid way to show that you care for someone?"

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "Well, for one, if you wish to see that person, you ask them yourself, you don't have your underlings call them and demand they be at your beckon call."

"Alright. What else?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Well, if you care for someone, you should have a desire to be involved in their life. So, you'd want to spend time with them, and talk to them, even if it be about mundane, everyday things."

"Go on."

"You'd do things for them that needed to be done, without having to be asked."

"Such as, oh, for example, having their driveway repaired?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Or, maybe, dropping everything and immediately coming to their aid if you know someone is attempting to do them harm?"

"Yeah."

"Perhaps, even, taking a bullet for them?"

"Okay, I see where you're going. Eric, I don't doubt that you do see some type of value in me. It's just that, sometimes, it feels more like you're interested in Sookie the telepath, as opposed to Sookie the woman."

"Aw, but Sookie, you are forgetting something." He crossed the room to stand before me, and lifted his hand to softly caress my cheek. "The telepath, the waitress, the woman…they are all the same person. They are all you. They are just different parts of you."

Sure, I'd been annoyed at his high-handed behavior. But, all the same, it was so incredibly difficult not to press my cheek into his palm, and lean my body into his. Especially when I remember how wonderful that body felt when it was naked, pressed to mine….No! Not going there. I took a step backwards.

"Sookie," Eric said, "I'm wondering about something."

"And just what would that be?"

"If I were to attempt to show you that I care, would you be receptive?"

What was with the technical talk? "I don't know that I understand what you're getting at here, Eric."

"Alright, let me try to put it another way. Would you allow me to court you, Sookie?" The words sounded foreign coming from him. Like a child reading a textbook a few years too advanced for their age.

"Well, I guess that would depend on how you would go about doing that, Eric," I answered.

He walked to the front door, opened it, but paused halfway through. "I'll definitely keep that in mind," he said, and then he was gone.

"Well, one thing's for sure," I said out loud, even though I was all alone. "There's definitely never a dull moment when Eric is around."


	2. Chapter 2

I shut the front door, and turned to walk towards my bedroom. Since it seemed I was no longer going out, I'd need to change my clothes. I didn't want to risk having anything happen to my brand new outfit before I had the chance to wear it OFF my own property. I changed into some comfy jeans and a t-shirt, and put my necklace and earrings back in my jewelry box.

I was just making my way towards the kitchen when I heard a knock on my front door. Having learned my lesson from earlier, I did a quick mental scan, and discovered that my caller was a vampire. "Give me a break! Isn't this night ever going to end?" I mumbled to myself as I walked to the door. I took a quick glance through the peephole, extremely annoyed to see that Eric had returned. I opened the door and eyed him suspiciously. I detected a faint smell of smoke in the air, and wondered why I hadn't noticed it before, but pushed that thought aside.

"What now, Eric?"

"Have you recently received a message from the Queen?"

I was a little disconcerted. "What? No. What message would she have for **me**?"

"I would assume it would be in regards to your cousin's final death."

I was back to being confused. "How did you know about that?"

"Sookie, as Sheriff, it is my duty to know when the Queen is in my area, and what she is here for. I was informed of her visit here, and of what happened during that visit."

Okay, so, he knew that Waldo killed Hadley, and that the Queen and her lawyer, Mr. Cataliades, brought Waldo here for punishment. I could handle him knowing that. I think.

"Well, I haven't heard from any of them since that night, Eric. Why do you ask?"

Instead of answering my question, Eric pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. After a moment, he began speaking. "This is Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5. I need to speak with Mr. Cataliades immediately." He paused a moment, and I tried to get his attention so he could tell me what the hell was going on! But, he began speaking again. "Cataliades, tell me, did you send a messenger to my area recently?"

He nodded as, I assumed, Mr. Cataliades answered his question. "Yes, well, I assure that Miss Stackhouse received no message." He was silent for another moment, listening, and then said, "I have already taken care of that. She was here, on the property." After yet another moment of silence, he said, "I will see to it personally," and hung up.

"Eric, would you mind telling me just what is going on, please?"

He began pacing my front porch, which worried me more than anything else. A nervous Eric was **not** a good sign. "It appears that someone is trying to keep you away from New Orleans, my dear. Cataliades sent a messenger, his niece Gladiola, to you. She should've arrived here no later than Wednesday evening. However, as you have previously indicated, she never delivered her message. As I was flying back to Shreveport, I noticed something troubling in some bushes, so I stopped to investigate. It seems someone used a very sharp object, I would guess a sword, and cut the young woman in half."

I think I felt my jaw hit my feet, it dropped so suddenly. "She was murdered? On my property?"

"Obviously."

I decided to ignore the condescending tone of his voice. "Well, what do we need to do with her body? Is Mr. Cataliades going to send someone for it?"

"Gladiola was part demon, so, her body would not decompose as human remains would. The only way to dispose of a body with demon blood is to burn it, which I have already done."

Well, that explains the smell of smoke. "What about the message she was supposed to deliver?"

"I saw no trace of it. Cataliades said it was enchanted, so only you could open it. Obviously, whoever killed Gladiola didn't need to see the message themselves, just ensure that you didn't see it, either."

"Did he tell you what it said?"

"Yes. It was to inform you that he would arrive here on Sunday to take you to New Orleans. He seems to have a strong desire for you to go through your cousin's things as soon as possible."

I sat down on the top step of the porch, and ran my hand over my eyes. Why couldn't I just have one, normal, supe free weekend? Was that really too much to ask? Eric surprised me, yet again, when he sat down next to me, and began rubbing circles between my shoulder blades in a comforting way.

"Sookie, I understand that you are overwhelmed right now. But, it is very important that we do everything possible to determine who is responsible for this. Do you remember anything odd at all about Wednesday evening?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I do, actually." I turned my face to look at him. "I was in the kitchen, and I had the window open because it was such a nice night. Out of nowhere, all of the sounds of the critters and bugs just suddenly stopped, like they were all scared of something that was out there."

Eric gazed out towards the woods, and I could tell that he was thinking about what I'd said. He stayed quiet for a long time, and if his hand wasn't still moving on my back, I'd have thought he'd slipped into down time. Finally, he stood, walked off the porch, and then turned back to look at me.

"I will be here tomorrow shortly after dark. Be ready to depart for New Orleans."

"I have to work tomorrow night, Eric."

"Then you'd better have your things packed before your shift starts. We will be departing the moment you arrive home." I was too tired to argue with him.

As he turned once again to leave, I said, "Eric, wait! Bill said he wanted to go to New Orleans with me when I went."

His back stiffened slightly, and he looked over his shoulder and simply said, "No. His presence is not needed." I shrugged my shoulders, stood up, and made my way back toward the front door. I paused when he said, "Sookie, one more thing." I turned and gasped, finding that he'd used his vampire speed, and was standing right in front of me. He gently placed his hands on my face, cupping my cheeks, and leaned in and placed a soft, slow kiss to my lips. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make something deep inside me thud with desire. When he finally pulled his lips from mine, he smiled, and simply said, "Until tomorrow, then." And with that, he was gone.

I had no trouble getting to sleep that night, simply because I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. When I woke the next morning, I began mentally compiling a list of things I needed to do before leaving for New Orleans. I thought about phoning Jason to have him pick up my mail, but, decided against it. With Crystal having just miscarried, he didn't need another responsibility to take care of. Instead, I called Tara, and she agreed to do it. I had just finished putting a load of clothes into the washer when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey, babe." It was Quinn.

"Quinn, I'm so glad you called. Listen, I'm really, **really** sorry about last night. I really was looking forward to our date."

"I guess when you told me that by dating you, I'd be stepping on someone's toes, you meant Eric, right?"

"Yeah. Quinn, listen, Eric and I are not together, okay. We were once, a few months ago, but that's over, now. It was a bit of an awkward situation though, and there's kinda still some weirdness there." I hoped that made sense.

"Oh, um, okay. So, are you his now?"

What was it with supes? Did I absolutely **have** to belong to someone? Couldn't I just belong to myself? "No, Quinn, Eric is not my boyfriend. But, he **did** ask for permission to um, court me, and I told him yes. But, that doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with you, too."

He was silent for a minute. "So, let me see if I understand this correctly. Eric wants you, and you've given him permission to pursue you. But, you've also given **me** permission to pursue you. Right?"

"More or less, I guess that's it."

"Okay. I think I can deal with that, for now. I'm heading to Texas today, but, I should be back by Monday. Can I see you, then?"

"Um, unfortunately, I probably won't be here. I have to go to New Orleans."

"How come?" he asked.

I told him everything about Hadley's apartment, and the untimely end of the part-demon messenger, Gladiola. I took his cell phone number, and we agreed that I would call him when I was back in Bon Temps.

I finally had my bag packed, and I put it in the living room by the front door as I left to go to Merlotte's. The first couple of hours of my shift passed by quickly, because we were busy. It was a Saturday night, after all. We were just busy enough that I was able to avoid talking to Sam about his new employee, Tanya. I could tell that he was happy about how things were working out with her, but I couldn't feel the same. I wasn't sure what it was, something about her just rubbed me the wrong way.

When things slowed down a bit, I asked Sam if I could talk to him for a minute.

"Sam, listen, I need a few days off."

"Why, Sook? What's up?"

"I have to go to New Orleans to clean out my cousin's apartment."

He looked a little shocked. "Does that have to be right now? Tanya just started, and we're a little short-staffed as is."

"Well, sort of." I really didn't want to get into the whole story while we were at the bar, you never know who'd overhear you. "If you need to let me go and find someone new, I'll understand."

"Sookie, stop. You know I would never do that. If you absolutely need to go now, we'll handle it."

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, thanked him, and went back to work. I didn't need to be a telepath to know that Tanya wasn't happy about the kiss. Lucky for me, the daggers her eyes were shooting at me wouldn't harm me.

I wasn't entirely surprised when Bill came into the bar that night. I actually wanted to speak with him, anyway. He sat at a table in my section, and I went over to take his order the first chance I got. When I brought his bottle of blood to him, I said, "Listen, Bill, I know you said you wanted to go with me to New Orleans when I went, but, it's really not necessary. I'm leaving tonight right after my shift is over."

"Well, if you'd told me sooner, I would've been prepared to come along."

"I didn't really have much choice in the matter. Mr. Cataliades sent a messenger to me saying he'd pick me up tomorrow, but, someone killed the messenger in my woods."

"Is he picking you up tonight instead, then?"

"Oh, no. Um, I have another ride down there, now." I was hoping to get around this piece of information, but I could tell Bill wasn't going to let it drop. "Eric is driving me. He's actually the one that found Gladiola's body."

"Hmm, well, that does explain why I smelt smoke last night. Sookie, I don't really think that you going to New Orleans with Eric is such a good idea."

I was about to say something, when I noticed his attention go to the door. I turned and look, and saw Selah Pumphrey walking into the bar. I tried, unsuccessfully, to hide my contempt. "Well, Bill, it's a good thing then that your opinion doesn't really matter in this case."

I turned and walked away just as Selah was getting there. I asked Arlene to take the table for me, feeling very relieved when she agreed. I was **not** in the mood to deal with Selah. I was already in a bad mood, and my back was beginning to ache. I was wondering what was causing the back ache, when I felt a familiar sensation, and realized that my monthly visitor had arrived. I glanced over at Bill and caught him staring at me, his nostrils flaring. He could smell the blood. A wave of acute embarrassment rolled over me, turning my face red. If Bill could smell it, that meant Eric would as well. Great, that's all I needed to add to the fun of riding with him to New Orleans.

I was very relieved when the time came for the bar to close, and I said goodbye to Sam while I grabbed my purse, and headed out to my car. Suddenly, my mental alarm went off. Somewhere close, there was a lot of hostility and evil intent. I didn't even have time to turn around, before I felt a burly arm wrap around my stomach, and a hand clamped down on my mouth, silencing my scream.


	3. Chapter 3

I thrashed my limbs as hard as I could, and used all my strength to try and get myself loose from the arms holding me tightly. Just as I had the idea to bite down on the hand over my mouth, a familiar voice whispered "Sookie, it's me," into my ear. I immediately stopped struggling, and the hand moved away from my mouth.

"Dawson?" I asked, looking for confirmation on who I thought it was. But, time apparently was not on my side, because just then two boys came into view. They were each in the process of changing into wolves, and they were acting crazed. They seemed to be looking for something, or, someone. The moment their faces turned in my direction, they snarled, and started coming my way. Much to my surprise, Sam stepped out of the bar, a shotgun in his hands, and he pointed it straight at them.

"Not another move," he yelled. They didn't seem to take him as a serious threat though, because neither of them stopped. Before I knew it, the arms holding me were gone. I was flung back, and landed hard on my butt on the loose gravel. The man who had been holding me stepped underneath one of the security lights, and I saw that it was indeed Dawson. He grabbed one of the two boys, and the boy fought hard against him. Dawson did a sort of twisting motion, and I heard a sickening cracking sound, and the boy fell to the ground. His neck had been broken. I closed my eyes in disgust.

A few seconds later, I heard the boom of the shotgun, and my eyes opened wide. I looked at Sam, and then turned in the direction he was pointing the gun. The other boy lay on the ground, blood on his chest. He was close enough to Dawson for me to understand that Sam had shot him to keep him from attacking the large were. It didn't take me long to realize that both boys were now dead.

"Sookie, are you alright?" I heard Sam ask. I tried to answer, but words wouldn't seem to form in my throat. I pressed my fingers to my temples, closed my eyes, and tilted my head towards the ground. I would have done almost anything in that moment to have everything suddenly make sense. But, let's face it, when you're dealing with supes, **nothing** makes sense. As if the night hadn't been stressful enough, I heard a huge 'whomp' sound, and knew instinctively that Eric had arrived.

"Sookie," I heard his cool voice say, "I expected you to arrive at your home by now. But, it seems that something has detained you. Would someone mind explaining this to me?"

I knew I wouldn't be the one answering, because I had no clue myself. All I knew was that I was sick and tired of my life always being in danger from some unknown threat. In that moment, I knew I'd take the known threat over this any day of the week, and twice on Sunday! So, I did the only thing I could think of. I stood up, ran to Eric, threw my arms around him, burying my head in his chest, and cried. After a moment, I felt his arms go around me, and he began softly stroking the back of my head.

"I was out here, leaning against my truck, waiting for Sam when I heard those pups trying to sneak up through the woods. They were bitten, not born weres, so, they didn't smell me, I guess. I heard them talking about grabbing some blonde girl, and when I saw Sookie leavin' the bar, I figured she was their target. Luckily, I got to her before they did," Dawson explained.

I turned slightly in Eric's embrace, and said, "Thank you, Dawson. But, what I don't understand is, why were you here in the first place?"

"The fryer in the kitchen has been having some problems, so I bought a new one, and it's supposed to be delivered tomorrow morning. Dawson agreed to come over tonight after we closed to help me haul the old one out." Sam said.

"So now they are dead, and we have no idea why they were after Sookie in the first place. Is that correct, shifter?" Eric wasn't even trying to hide the contempt in his voice.

I pulled far enough away from him to gaze into his eyes. "Eric, don't blame Sam for this. He and Dawson probably saved my life tonight."

"Yes, but it would've been helpful if we knew just whom they had saved it from," he answered.

"Eric, you of all people should know that sometimes there just isn't **time** to stop and ask questions. Those kids were crazed, probably on drugs, and if we'd stopped long enough to try and find out why they were here, Sookie could've been hurt or even killed," Sam said.

Eric didn't say anything in response for a long, tense moment. Finally, he said, "This conversation is not over, shifter. However, if we're going to make it to New Orleans by dawn, Sookie and I need to be going. I expect for you to clean up your own mess," he said, indicating the two dead teenagers.

With his arms still wrapped around me, he walked the two of us to my car, and deposited me in the passenger seat. He quickly got into the driver's seat, and after pushing the seat as far back as it would go, he drove us out of the parking lot. Neither of us said a single word as he drove back to my house. Once we got there, he pulled the car around the back, and walked through the kitchen and into the living room with me.

I pointed to my suitcase that was sitting next to the couch and said, "My bag is right there. Why don't you be getting it in your car while I take a shower? I don't want to ride all the way to New Orleans smelling like beer and chicken." He looked at me with one eyebrow raised, clearly indicating that he didn't believe a word I was saying. He was right to question my reasoning. My desire to shower had nothing to do with smelling like work, and everything to do with giving myself some time to calm down and collect my thoughts.

I kept my hair pulled up so it wouldn't get wet, and I quickly showered and slipped into a pair of blue jeans and a blue shirt that matched the color of my eyes. I left my bedroom, and quickly went into the kitchen to make sure that the back door was locked up tight, before going back to the living room. Eric was standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the fireplace. I softly said his name, and he turned to look at me. I was surprised to see a look of pure longing on his face.

"Something big happened in this room while I was cursed, I can tell. What was it?"

I was disconcerted. Many things had happened here. This room was where we had been when Pam and Chow first explained Hallow's pursuit of Eric to us. And, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't look at the floor in front of the fireplace and not remember all the wonderful things he'd done to my body as we lay entwined.

"We sat in front of the fire together, and you asked me questions about my life," I answered, deciding to play it on the safe side.

"And did you answer my questions honestly?"

I hadn't anticipated him asking that. "Of course I did."

"Why?"

"I don't understand what you mean, Eric."

"When I had no idea who I was, you had no trouble telling me all about yourself. But, now, when I remember who I am, you guard yourself from me. It is almost as if it took me losing my own past, for you to share yours."

I had no idea how to respond to that.

He turned to look at me, and said, "Someday, I will remember the full truth for myself. Come, we must leave now."

I followed him out the door, finished locking the house up, and we both got into his Corvette. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, and the silence began to feel a little uncomfortable. Finally, I asked, "Eric, why do you think those two boys tried to attack me?"

"I am not sure. While you were showering, I called Alcide Herveaux and informed him of the situation. He said that he had not heard about any new weres in the area. I reminded him that the former pack master had made you a friend of the pack, and that regardless of how the current pack master feels about you, their protection cannot be revoked."

"Oh," I said, because I simply couldn't think of anything else to say. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and saw his nostrils flare slightly, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. I once again cursed Mother Nature for her timing, then laid my head back and closed my eyes. I was just tired enough that the quiet hum of the engine lulled me to sleep.

I woke with the uncomfortable feeling of bright lights suddenly hitting my eyelids. I turned my face and opened my eyes, giving them a moment to adjust. I noted that we had pulled into a gas station, and Eric was just about to get out to fill the tank.

"We should arrive in New Orleans in about another hour, so, if you need to use the restroom, I suggest you do it," he said before he shut his door.

I grabbed my purse, got out of the car, and stretched my muscles before making my way into the building. I had a horrible déjà vu moment, remembering when Eric and I had stopped at a gas station on our way back from Jackson. It hadn't turned out so well, and I hoped we wouldn't be having any problems this time. I used the restroom, and bought myself a bottle of water, before going back out to the car.

Eric was just finishing up a phone call as I settled in and rebuckled my seatbelt. "Cataliades has the key to your cousin's apartment. He should already be there by the time we arrive."

"Does he have any ideas as to who killed his niece, or why they did it?" I asked.

Eric pulled back onto the interstate before answering, "No, he does not."

"Do you think that has anything to do with me being attacked after work tonight?"

"I have been wondering about that myself. But, no, I do not believe the two situations are related."

"I just can't seem to catch a break. It feels like there's always someone after me. Half the time they wanna kill me, the other half, they wanna force me into using my telepathy for their benefit."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can guarantee you that I have no desire to kill you. And, although I do see the potential benefits your telepathic ability can bring, it is not my reason for wanting you."

"Oh really? Tell me then, Eric, why **do** you want me?"

"I want to fuck you."

I laughed out loud; I just couldn't seem to help it. I turned to look at Eric, and saw that he was smiling at me. It was then that I realized he'd just been trying to lighten the mood. He'd definitely succeeded.

Not long afterwards, Eric exited the interstate, and began making his way through the streets of New Orleans. I hadn't been to the city since I was very young, but, I was way too tired to pay much attention to my surroundings. Eric took a turn onto Chloe Street, and before I knew it, he was parking along the curb.

"Here we are," he said, indicating the building he'd parked next to. "Cataliades should be waiting for us in the courtyard."

Eric went to the back of the car to get my bag out of the trunk while I stood up and took in my surroundings. From what I could tell, Hadley had lived in a fairly nice neighborhood. When Eric was once again by my side, we proceeded into the courtyard together. Once inside, I saw Mr. Cataliades standing at the bottom of a staircase. He smiled politely at me as we came to a stop in front of him.

"Miss Stackhouse, it is a pleasure to see you again," he said in a very courtly manner.

"Thank you, Mr. Cataliades. You as well," I answered, even though I wasn't sure I really meant it.

"I was sorry to hear of the trouble you experienced when leaving your workplace this past evening. Are you quite alright, my dear?"

"I'm just fine, thank you. More shook up than anything. And, may I say, I'm very sorry for the loss of your niece."

His face took on a more serious, yet somehow sad, look. "That's very kind of you." Just then, I was unable to stifle a very large yawn. "You must be exhausted, my dear. Here is the key to the apartment. It is just up the stairs. It has been warded magically, but, the wards will recognize you, and you should be able to enter without any problems," he said, hanging me a key on a small key chain.

I turned and climbed the staircase with Eric following behind me with my suitcase. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I put the key in the lock, and opened the door. I felt a crackle in the air, similar to the feeling of pulling on a shirt that is full of static electricity. I stepped over the threshold, and then turned back to Eric, still trying to decide whether or not I wanted to invite him in. To my astonishment, he walked right in before I had made up my mind.

"How did you just do that?" I asked him.

He seemed a little confused at first, but it wasn't long before he realized what I was asking. "The Queen has been continuing to pay your cousins rent, so, it is still her home. A vampire can enter another vampire's home without an invitation."

Good to know. "Well, if it's just the same to you, I just want to get to bed. I'm exhausted, and I know I'm going to have a ton of packing to do over the next few days."

He nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be for the best. It is nearing dawn, so I need to be getting to the Queen's headquarters to check in with her, anyway. I will take my rest there for the day, but, I will return just after dark."

"Alrighty. Well, g'night Eric."

He took a step towards me, picked my hand up, and placed a lingering kiss on my palm. "Sleep well, Sookie." And then he was gone.

I fumbled around for a light switch, and once I'd located one, I took a few minutes to take in the layout of the apartment. It wasn't extravagant, but, it was nice. It most assuredly wasn't anything I'd expected. Once I'd located the master bed and bath, I changed into some comfy lounge pants and a t-shirt, and then went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I went back into the bedroom to climb into the bed, and cringed when I pulled back the comforter. Hadley's sheets were black, and made out of a material that could only wish it was satin. I figured it would work for at least one night, and I crawled in and got comfortable. It didn't take long before I was dead to the world.

**A/N When I first got the idea for this fic, I was really excited about it. I still am, however, actually WRITING it is proving to be harder than I anticipated. For some reason, I'm finding that this is more difficult than anything else I've ever written. So, please be patient with me, and understand that updates on this will most likely not be as frequent as some of my other fics have been. I'm not giving up on it, and I would never just abandon it. Thanks for reading, and review to let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I know that this update is extremely long overdue. I'm sorry that it took so long, and I promise to try to update more frequently in the future. Unfortunately, a few things in RL got in the way (today was my son's 3****rd**** birthday, and it's been crazy for a while around here!). But, also, as I've said before, I've been struggling with a few things in regards to this fic. After a lot of soul searching, and many debates with my beta and good friend Jen, I've decided how to proceed. Because this story is following along the path that CH originally paved, there are some things that will remain unchanged. In order to keep things flowing, I plan on more or less summarizing things rather than skipping them entirely, or, copying them word for word from the book. However, there are a few things that couldn't be avoided, so, there are a few places where I have used exactly what was written in the books. I hope everyone can live with that, because it's taken a lot for me to come to this decision. So, without further ado, I give you Sookie's first full day in New Orleans!**

When I woke, it was to the smell of coffee. I couldn't remember the last time I'd inhaled something so divine. I moved a little in the bed, and my eyes popped open at the odd feel of the sheets. After looking around for a moment, I remembered where I was, and why I was here. That's also when it occurred to me that there was no reason I should be smelling coffee. I heard movement coming from down the hall, and knew I was no longer alone in the apartment.

I quietly got up from the bed, grabbed the small pepper spray canister from my purse, and slowly made my way down the hall. The source of the noise was in the kitchen. She was cleaning. Okay, that was odd. I couldn't remember ever hearing of burglars who left the home nicer than it was before they'd been there. I took a quick listen into her mind, and my stance relaxed. Man, she was a loud broadcaster.

"I know you technically own this building, but, couldn't you have waited until I woke up, instead of just letting yourself in?" I asked the woman I now knew to be Hadley's landlord. She jumped when I first spoke, and faced me.

"Sorry about that. But, I've already been waiting several weeks to get this apartment taken care of, and when I found out you'd arrived late last night, I decided I just didn't want to wait any longer."

I closed my eyes for a moment to try and compose myself. "Well, I'm going to go take care of a few things in the bathroom, so, I guess you'll have to just keep waiting." I felt a little bad that I was being so rude, but, she **had** more or less entered the apartment without my consent, so, I figured we were even.

I washed my face, and brushed my hair and teeth, then pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt before making my way back out to the kitchen. She was still there, and she turned and handed me a mug of coffee as I walked in.

"I'm Amelia Broadway, by the way. Cataliades left me a note saying that you'd gotten in last night." Her thoughts were so loud, that I knew all of this already. But, I nodded politely as if this was new information to me. She looked at me a moment more before saying, "You don't look a thing like Hadley." By her tone, I couldn't decide if she thought that was a good thing or not.

"I'm not at all like Hadley, all the way through," I said flatly.

"Well, that's good. Hadley was pretty awful," Amelia said unexpectedly. "Whoops. Sorry, I'm not tactful."

'_Now there's an understatement,'_ I thought. We continued to chat a bit while I finished my coffee. She kept going on and on about how she was a witch and I kind of got the impression that she was trying hard not to brag. She told me that she'd put a stasis spell on Hadley's apartment when Cataliades told her to seal it up. It kept everything fresh, almost like someone had frozen time. I felt kind of bad about putting her in her place with the whole 'I'm a telepath' thing, but, she took it alright, I guess.

When she finally left, I started going through Hadley's clothes, trying to decide if I wanted to keep anything. I quickly determined that pretty much everything could go. Hadley was more slender than I was, and her style was more tight and skimpy than I was comfortable with. As I emptied the contents of the dressers and closets, I allowed my mind to wander to what I would need in order to complete my task.

I needed boxes, that was for sure. So I'd also need strapping tape, lots of it, and a Magic Marker, and probably scissors. And finally, I'd need a truck to take whatever I salvaged back to Bon Temps. I didn't plan on keeping much, but, the trunk of Eric's corvette wouldn't have enough space. I knew I wouldn't be keeping any of the furniture, and most of the clothes could go to the Salvation Army.

I found a large box or garbage bags and used those to pack the clothes away, putting each finished bag on the gallery to keep the apartment free of clutter. The time started to pass quicker once I figured out how to operate Hadley's CD player. She had quite a few CD's, and although it wasn't what I would normally listen to, it helped all the same.

I took a short break to use the bathroom just as it was beginning to get dark outside. I smiled to myself as I could hear the distant sounds of the jazz music that had become one of the staples of New Orleans. However, the smile faded when I caught of whiff of something foul in the bathroom. I quickly checked the trash cans, wondering if something had been left in one of them, and now that the "magical seal" had been removed from the apartment, had begun to rot.

It wasn't long 'til I discovered that the horrible stench was coming from some towels that were sticking together in a hamper. I took them out to the gallery, needing some fresh air before I attempted to pull them apart. I was confused as to what could be causing them to stick together so completely. Finally, using all my strength, I was able to pull them apart, and saw several flakes fly into the air. It was blood. Dried blood, which had begun to decay rapidly. '_Oh Hadley,'_ I thought, _'what did you do?'_

I knew my best option at this point would be to talk to Amelia. But first, I needed to check the whole apartment, see if it held any more surprises.

Oh, yeah. It did.

The body was in the walk-in closet in the hall.

There was no odor at all, though the corpse, a young man, had probably been there for the whole time my cousin had been dead. If the towels had started to smell, you would think…oh well, maybe I'd just gotten lucky. This was something that I would have to find the answer to, and I suspected it lay downstairs.

I went down and knocked on Amelia's door. I asked her a few more questions about the stasis spell, and told her all about my little discovery. Although she was reluctant, she finally agreed to come upstairs and take a look for herself. She said she recognized him as a were named Jake Purifoy who had worked security at the Queen's wedding.

We started to discuss what our options at this point were. I had just felt a blank spot begin to register in my brain, and began to feel nervous until I heard a knocking at the door. I remembered that Eric had said he'd be over just after dark, so I began to walk towards the door. About halfway down the hallway, I felt another blank spot register. Suddenly, the condition of the corpse made terrifying sense, and I turned to tell Amelia to run. I was a little too late, however, as I saw a hand reach out of the closet and grab her by the shoulder. Jake Purifoy had risen.

I screamed, and as I began to rush to help Amelia, I heard the sound of the front door being smashed open, and Eric yelled my name. I was so distracted, that I lost my balance and fell into Amelia, still in the grasp of the newly risen vampire. The force of the impact knocked her loose from his grip, and thankfully, he hadn't yet sunk his teeth into her. He wasn't completely deterred however, and immediately bit down on whatever flesh was closest to him. Unfortunately, in the jumbled up mass that we'd now become, that flesh was my arm.

He bit down hard, and it hurt like hell. I was afraid to tear my arm away from him, because I had a feeling that quite a bit of my flesh would probably come off when I did. Thankfully, it was only a couple of seconds before Eric was able to pry him off me. Amelia was smart enough to run to the kitchen and grab a bottle of blood from the refrigerator. She gave it to Eric, and he immediately began pouring the contents down Jake's throat, finally calming him.

Amelia took in my bleeding arm, and said something about running down to her place to get some bandages, since it was obviously something Hadley wouldn't have owned. I went into the bathroom, and ran some water over the wound before pressing a towel on it firmly to staunch the bleeding. I heard Eric's voice in the background, and it sounded like he was on the phone, telling someone about what had just happened.

A moment later, he was standing in the bathroom doorway looking at me. "The Queen is sending someone over to clean up the mess and take the new one back to the compound. Are you alright?"

I gave a small nod. "I think so. My arm hurts, but, it'll be okay."

He took a step towards me and smiled a little, his fangs showing slightly. "Would you like my help with that?"

I laughed, and just shook my head. I surprised even myself by crossing the room to where he was, leaning into him, and laying my head against his chest. He raised a hand to slowly rub my back.

We were interrupted a moment later when Amelia came in carrying some gauze and medical tape. She led me into the living room, and I sat down and allowed her to wrap my arm up. Jake was huddled in a corner, drinking yet another bottle of blood. He kept his eyes on Eric the entire time. I could tell that Amelia didn't feel too comfortable in the room with Eric and Jake, so she excused herself to return the leftover gauze and tape to her apartment.

We heard a car pull into the courtyard, and soon footsteps were heard on the stairs. I registered two new vampire brains, and figured this was whoever the Queen had sent over. A dark skinned man with black hair walked passed us, nodded to Eric, and crouched down in front of Jake, speaking softly to him. I was extremely surprised when the next person to walk in was Bill.

"Sookie, are you alright?" he asked, his voice sounding very anxious.

"I'm fine," I answered him. He raised his hand, as if to cup my cheek, but stopped abruptly when Eric growled at him. "Bill, what are you doing here?" I asked him, hoping to break some of the tension that was suddenly filling the room.

"I was with the Queen when Eric called her, and I wanted to be certain you were alright."

"No, I mean, what are you doing here in New Orleans?"

"My presence is required at the Queen's celebratory feast," he answered.

Eric laughed loudly, but the sound had no humor in it whatsoever. Just then, the dark-skinned vampire stood, and after wrapping a blanket around Jake's shoulders, began to escort him out of the apartment. "Do not leave yet, Rasul," Eric said, "Compton will be joining you momentarily."

The other vamp nodded, and he and Jake left the apartment. Eric turned to face Bill, and said, "You will tell her the truth. Now!"

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that I **really** didn't want to hear what Bill had to say. But, somehow, I knew I didn't really have a choice.

"Sookie, when I first moved back to Bon Temps, I told you that it was because the last Compton had died, and I was reclaiming the land. Unfortunately, that is not entirely accurate." Eric snorted, and Bill paused a moment before continuing. "When Hadley's association with the Queen first began, she did everything within her power to become one of the Queen's favorites." And suddenly, it all made sense. I knew exactly what Bill was about to tell me, and no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to stop it. "She apparently spoke of you often. Knowing that I was originally from Bon Temps, Sophie Ann sent me to discern whether or not Hadley's words were true. When I confirmed the information, she told me to do anything, even seduce you if necessary, in order to secure you for her own use. I was supposed to gain your trust, and then hand you over to the Queen."

I couldn't speak. No words seemed exactly right for what I was feeling. I sat in shocked silence, letting everything sink in. Finally, I stood, and after turning my back to Bill, I spoke. "Leave. I never want to see you again. Ever!" I heard him stutter as if he wanted to say something, but, then he just left.

Eric came to stand directly behind me, put his arms around my waist, and pulled my back to his chest, hugging me gently. "The Queen was expecting you to come to her this night. I will tell her that you need to recuperate from your injury, and that you will be at her compound tomorrow evening." I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head, and then he left also.

I was a little concerned about the state of the door, but, Eric pulled it firmly shut behind him as he left. I heard Amelia's voice coming from outside, and expected to hear a knock. But, it never came, so I can only assume that Eric told her not to disturb me. It was a good thing he had. I just wanted to be alone. I went into the bedroom, stripped off all of my clothing, and pulled on a soft, cotton nightgown. I lay down in the bed and stared at the ceiling, wishing and praying that this entire day had been a dream. It wasn't long until sleep swallowed me up.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Once again, several lines in this chapter come directly from Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris. No copyright infringement is intended, and I'm making absolutely ZILCH in the way of profits from this! That being said…ENJOY!**

The second morning I woke up in Hadley's apartment was in so many ways different from the first. This time, I was prepared for the feel of the nasty bed sheets; what I wasn't prepared for, was the feeling of sorrow that overtook me as I recalled the events of the previous evening. I had been lying on my side, facing the doorway, and flipped over so I could take a quick look at the clock. When I was finally facing the opposite direction, I was surprised to find that, not only was I not alone in the apartment, I wasn't even alone in the bed!

Claudine was lying beside me, propped up on one elbow looking down at me compassionately. And Amelia was at the end of the bed in an easy chair, her feet propped up on an ottoman. She was reading.

"How come you're here?" I asked Claudine.

"I'm your fairy godmother; it's my job to help you recover from disasters. And, last night was most certainly a disaster," she answered.

"You can explain that to me right after I go to the bathroom," I said as I stood. But, as I turned towards the doorway, she took a step in front of me, put her arms around me, and pulled me into an embrace. Even though Claudine has always been a pretty touchy-feely kind of gal, I was still surprised at this show of affection. But, I welcomed it whole-heartedly.

I went into the bathroom, and brushed my hair and teeth after emptying my very full bladder. When I once again exited the bathroom, Claudine had pulled some clothes out of my duffle bag, and there was a mug on the bedside table with steam rising from it. I quickly pulled on the jeans and t-shirt, and sat down against the headboard, my legs crossed in front of me. I held the mug to my face and inhaled deeply, savoring the scent. In her human life, Hadley had been what you could call a "coffee connoisseur," and it hadn't surprised me that the brand she'd had was gourmet. I took a gulp, and closed my eyes as I swallowed, feeling significantly more able to cope with the coming events.

"Explain the fairy godmother thing," I said. I didn't want to talk about anything more urgent, not just yet. Claudine gave both Amelia and I a brief description of the fae. I knew she was leaving things out, but, I was too emotionally exhausted to really care at the moment.

After she'd given us all the information she could, Claudine finally said, "Now, come on. We have some shopping to do."

"What are you talking about?" I said, feeling confused.

"You need to get something nice to wear for when you call on the Queen tonight. You can't go in wearing jeans, Sookie."

"Do I **have** to go? I'd really much rather just get the rest of this stuff packed up so I can go home."

Claudine sighed sympathetically. "Darling, I know that the last thing you want to do right now is get all dressed up to visit vampires. But, the Queen is expecting you, and I'm sure she'll want details of what happened here last night."

"Can't Eric just tell her everything?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Amelia interjected. "He said to tell you he'd be here to pick you up right after full dark. He said that he doesn't want you to be out and about in an unfamiliar place without vamp protection." She rolled her eyes a little, and then continued. "So, do you mind telling me exactly why he told me that you were absolutely, under no circumstances, to be bothered last night after he left?"

I closed my eyes, trying to fight back the tears, and thankfully, Claudine decided to answer for me. "Bill, her first lover, was planted in Bon Temps to seduce her and gain her trust. Last night, he admitted that to her face, and in front of her only other lover, Eric."

"Well…that sucks," Amelia said faintly.

"Yeah, it does," I said.

Amelia opened her mouth to ask a question, but I held up my hand and said, "Please, don't. I really don't want to talk about it right now. It's all a little too fresh for me."

Amelia reluctantly nodded, and then said, "Well, if we're moving on then, we need a course of action for figuring out what exactly happened to Jake Purifoy to leave him in Hadley's closet."

"How? If there aren't any witnesses, what could we possibly do?"

Amelia smiled and said, "We do an ectoplasmic reconstruction."

She went on to explain what exactly that ecto-thingy **was**, what would be involved, and how much it would cost. She gave me the job of asking the Queen if she'd pay for it, and although I agreed, I wasn't really looking forward to it. I was pretty sure that if Sophie-Anne wouldn't, Eric would. But, I really didn't have the desire to ask him, either. I figured if Sophie-Anne wouldn't pay, I'd do it myself. I still had some money left over from taking care of Eric, and finding out the truth of what happened to Jake seemed very important.

While Amelia began her preparations, Claudine took me shopping. We argued about whether or not I would allow her to buy me something to wear, and after I reluctantly agreed, she refused to let me see price tags on anything I tried on. We finally picked out a very pretty dress, and then stopped to get something to eat. I knew that it had been quite some time since I'd had anything, but, I was surprised at how famished I actually was.

Claudine had me back at Hadley's place, dressed, with full hair and make-up done shortly before dark. She wanted to be long gone before any vamps showed up, and I really couldn't blame her. If I thought there was even a **chance** she'd agree, I would've begged her to take me with her. But, I knew that I had no other choice than to go. She took a moment to remind me how serious my situation was, and to warn me to not mouth-off to the Queen. I felt like a child being scolded, but, I knew she was only doing it with the best of intentions.

About ten minutes after she left, there was a knock at the door of the apartment. I did a quick mental check, and was surprised to find that it was Amelia. Huh, I'd been expecting Eric. I answered the door, and after she came in, Amelia and I took a seat on the couch in the living room. I felt like a bad hostess for not offering her at least something to drink, but, quite frankly, all that was available was tap water and blood.

"I was able to find three other witches who are willing and able to help out tonight. I told them to be here around 10pm, so that should give you plenty of time to see the Queen and then get back here to watch," she said.

I simply nodded, and stared down at my hands. I was in a completely black mood.

"He's only one guy, you know," she said after a brief moment of silence.

He'd been the first guy. "My grandmother served him lemonade," I said, and worked hard not to let the tears pooling in my eyes fall down my cheeks.

"Hey, fuck him!" She said, and I smiled a little. We were interrupted by another knock, and she went to the door to let Eric in while I grabbed my purse. I told her I'd see her in a few hours, and Eric and I got into his car. He was wearing a black suit with a red and blue patterned tie, and his hair was loose. He looked wonderful.

"How is your arm?" He asked once we were on the road.

"It's a little sore, but, nothing I can't handle." I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and he looked like he had an entire story on the tip of his tongue, but, he stayed silent.

Finally, after a few more minutes of driving he spoke again. "The streets surrounding the compound are only open to pedestrian traffic after dark. There is, however, a parking garage on one side that we will enter through. After that, security will escort us to the Queen's office. Her new husband, the King of Arkansas, will likely be there as well." I nodded that I understood, and just continued to look out the window.

Eric pulled the corvette into the parking structure, and directed me to an exit. He walked along side me, and a couple of times, put his hand on the small of my back. I found the familiarity of Eric to be oddly comforting. I was only minimally paying attention, and my eyes widened with shock when I saw the security person who would escort us inside. He was wearing black bulletproof armor over a black uniform, and had a black helmet on his head. It was more than just a little intimidating. Sophie-Anne sure took her security seriously.

"Sheriff," the guard said, nodding his head to Eric. He looked a little familiar, but, I wasn't sure where I would've met him.

"Rasul, Miss Stackhouse has an appointment to see her majesty," Eric answered. That's when I realized that this guard was the one who'd come to collect Jake the night before.

"Yes, of course, right this way, please."

He led us through a garden area, and then into a building with a bank of elevators set in the middle of a long corridor. It looked just like any business office I'd ever seen. We only had to wait a moment for the elevator, and when the door opened, Eric gestured for me to step in first, and then stood on one side of me, while Rasul stood on the other.

After a moment, Rasul turned to me, smiled and said, "Did anyone ever tell you that you smell enchantingly like a fairy?"

"Oh, I've been with my fairy godmother," I explained. "She took me shopping."

"And the result was wonderful," he said gallantly while looking me up and down. I'm sure he was just a step short of giving me an eye fuck. Eric stiffened slightly next to me, but I paid it no mind. I was grateful for the compliment.

"You flatterer," I said and smiled.

The elevator opened, and we were once again facing a long corridor. It wasn't hard though, to see which room we would be stopping at. Two huge men, or should I say vampires, stood on either side of a door, and they were both armed with long, menacing looking swords.

"This is Miss Stackhouse," Rasul said, gesturing to me, "Her Majesty is expecting her." He turned, nodded at Eric, winked at me, and left.

There was a chair across the hall from where the two guards were standing, and Eric motioned for me to take a seat. "Sookie," he said, "These are the Queen's personal bodyguards. This," he said, gesturing to one, "is Sigebert, and that is his brother, Wybert."

Just then, a tall female vampire wearing a pin in the shape of the state of Arkansas walked down the hallway. As she passed the brothers, she gave them a look of contempt, and the atmosphere in the corridor became lethal. Perhaps Sophie-Anne wasn't so devoted to her husband?

After a moment, Wybert gestured to a round light set in the wall next to the door. "The Queen is…busy. When she wants you in her room, the light, it will shine."

So, I was stuck here for an indefinite time. I decided to try to make pleasant conversation. "Do your names have a meaning?" I asked the brothers.

Sigebert went on to explain all about their human life as Saxon warriors, and how Sophie-Anne herself had turned them centuries ago. Both my respect for, and fear of, the Queen escalated.

To my relief, the light shone green in the wall. Sigebert said, "Go now," and pushed open the door. As I stood and began to walk into the room, I noticed that Eric wasn't following me.

"Aren't you coming with me?" I asked him, nervous about being in a room with strange vampires all by myself.

"No, I cannot. I will be waiting here for you when you are finished," he said.

I walked over the threshold and into a room that was like any executive's office anywhere.

Sophie-Anne Leclerq, Queen of Louisiana, and a male vampire were sitting at a round table piled with papers. I'd only met the Queen once before, and I hadn't noticed how young she looked. She couldn't have been more than fifteen when she died. She was dressed very elegantly, and groomed perfectly, right down to the last eyelash. The vampire at the table with her was her male counterpart, and I assumed that he was her husband.

There were two other people in the room. A short man stood about three feet behind the Queen's chair. His face lacked maturity; he looked like a large child, but with a man's shoulders. He was wearing a suit, and he was armed with a saber and a gun.

Behind the man at the table stood a female vampire, dressed all in red. Her preference was unfortunate, as she looked absolutely awful in the color. She had a terrifying sword strapped to her back.

Since Eric hadn't briefed me on the correct protocol for meeting the royals, I dipped my head to the Queen, said, "Good to see you again, ma'am," and tried to look pleasantly at the king while doing the head-dip thing again.

"You've had some adventures in New Orleans," the Queen said, a safe lead-in. She wasn't smiling, but, I didn't sense that she was unhappy with me for any reason.

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"Sookie, this is my husband, Peter Threadgill, King of Arkansas," she said, tilting her head slightly to the man seated next to her.

"How-de-do," I said, then hastily added, "Sir."

"Miss Stackhouse," he said. He kept his attention on the paperwork in front of him, and didn't even raise his eyes to me at all. While I was relieved not to be an object of interest to the King, I was wondering exactly why I was there. I found out when the Queen began to question me about the night before. I told her as explicitly as I could. When she asked if I thought Amelia knew the body was there when she sealed the apartment, I answered that I was positive she hadn't known.

Sophie-Anne made some mention of my telepathy being my reasoning for that, and suddenly we had Peter Threadgill's full attention. He and the Queen had a small side conversation about why Sophie-Anne thought a telepath could be useful. He seemed to think he was in a position to look down his nose at everyone, including his wife.

"So, what do you think happened in Hadley's apartment?" the Queen asked me, and I realized we'd reverted to the original subject.

"I don't know who attacked Jake Purifoy," I said. "But, the night Hadley went to the graveyard with Waldo, Jake's drained body landed in her closet. As to how it came there, I couldn't say. That's why Amelia is having this ecto thing tonight."

The queen's expression changed; she actually looked interested. "She's having an ectoplasmic reconstruction? I've heard of those, but I've never witnessed one."

The king looked more than interested. For a split second, he looked extremely angry.

I forced my attention back to the queen. "Amelia wondered if you would care to, ah, fund it?"

After a moment of silent contemplation, Sophie-Anne not only agreed to foot the bill, but said she'd come along to watch, as well. She and Peter had a bit of a disagreement about whether or not that was a good idea. In the end, Peter finally gave in, but only after Sophie-Anne agreed to take Peter's personal bodyguard, Jade Flower, along. Jade Flower was apparently the woman in red, and I internally cringed at the idea of being in close proximity to her.

Sophie-Anne stood up from the table, and began to make her way towards the door, with her bodyguard, whose name I learned was Andre, myself, and Jade Flower following close behind. When she exited the room, she stopped, seeming slightly surprised that Eric was there waiting for me. But, then she turned and began walking towards the elevator, and Eric joined us, walking next to me. It wasn't until we were all trying to get in the elevator together that I realized that Sigebert and Wybert were with us as well.

When we finally made our way back to the garage, I saw that Rasul was there, standing next to the driver-side door of a limousine. One by one, we all climbed into the limousine. I wouldn't exactly say it was cozy, but, it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be, since I had Eric with me.

When we arrived back at the apartment, Rasul parked the limo along the curb, and we all got out and walked into the courtyard. I had to struggle not to laugh out loud at the look on Amelia's face when she saw our entourage. She introduced the three other witches to the queen, and once they had themselves spaced out around the area, they began.

For as long as I live, I will never get over the shock of watching my cousin Hadley walked into her apartment, looking like a glossy, shimmering, water-colored version of herself. I could tell by the Queen's body language that she had truly cared for my cousin. Sophie-Anne, Andre, Eric and I all watched from inside the apartment, while the other vampires stayed downstairs in the courtyard.

By the time it was all said and done, we knew that someone had attacked Jake in the courtyard while Hadley was in her apartment. When she discovered his drained, almost lifeless body, she forced her own blood down his throat, and then put him in her closet. She thought she'd be there when he rose, to guide him. She hadn't a clue that, by the time Jake awoke in his new life, her own life would be over.

Sophie-Anne, Andre, Eric and I all made our way back down to the courtyard to join the others. The witches were all exhausted, and since they really didn't have the energy to be able to defend themselves, suddenly seemed nervous to be amongst so many vampires. Amelia, sensing the tension, announced that they were all going to go out to some new pizza place, and they made their departure.

I wasn't exactly sure what would happen next, and after a moment of silence, Sophie-Anne spoke once again. "Rasul," she said, "we shall go back to the house very shortly." He bowed, and walked out to the car. "Miss Stackhouse," she said, turning her eyes on me. She took my hand, and led me back up the stairway to the apartment, with only Andre trailing behind us. I took a quick look over my shoulder at Eric, and he seemed very displeased, but remained silent.

We went into the apartment, and Sophie-Anne sat down on the sofa, gesturing for me to do the same. "You will not tell anyone what I am about to tell you," she said. I shook my head, mute with apprehension.

All I could do was sit in stunned silence as she told me the story of how she was turned, and how she eventually came to turn Andre. I was fascinated, but frightened all the same. At the end of her sad and strange tale, she said, "The reason I have bored you with my ancient history is to tell you why I took Hadley under my wing. She, too, had been molested, by her great-uncle. Did he molest you, too?"

I nodded. I'd had no idea he'd gotten to Hadley. He hadn't progressed to actual penetration, only because my parents had died and I'd gone to live with my grandmother. My parents hadn't believed me, but I'd convinced my grandmother I was telling the truth by the time he would have felt I was ripe, when I was about nine. Of course, Hadley had been older. We'd had much more in common than I'd thought. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," I said. "Thank you for telling me."

"Hadley spoke of you often," the Queen said, "you were very dear to her."

"You wouldn't have known it from the way she treated me, after she became a teenager." I said.

"She was sorry for that. Once she became a vampire, especially, and found out what it was like to be a minority. Even here in New Orleans, there is prejudice." She paused for a moment, and then continued. "The point is, I am grateful that you—through the witches—gave me a better idea of how Hadley died. And also you have let me know there is a wider plot against me than just Waldo's jealous heart. So, I am in your debt. Tell me what I can do for you now."

After a moment of thought, I listed all of the things I'd need, and need to do, in order to get Hadley's apartment taken care of, and asked if she could provide all of it. She smiled like someone indulging a child, and agreed. I was a little disconcerted when I asked her if there was any way I could **not** go to the summit with her, and she said no. But, she offered to pay me, which helped a great deal.

In a moment of boldness, another small request came to my mind. "There is one other thing," I said. "I was only last night informed of the reason why Bill moved back to Bon Temps. I wondered, did Hadley **know** that you'd sent him, and what his instructions were?" I wasn't absolutely positive I really wanted to know the answer, but, I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"She was aware that I sent him to ascertain the depth of your talent. She knew that if you would agree to come work with me, that I intended to provide you with payment enough to live a very comfortable lifestyle. I do not believe she quite understood what all was involved, however."

I felt a small weight lift from my shoulders. It was bad enough knowing that Hadley had pillow talk about me with Sophie-Anne. I was glad to know that she hadn't been totally aware of the pain she'd caused, since it didn't seem that it was intentional, at least not on her part.

"And, I'm not sure whether or not you know, but, it might help you feel a little better to know that our great-uncle was murdered, by a vampire, nonetheless."

Sophie-Anne's eyebrows rose in astonishment. It was clear that this was new information to her. "When I told Bill about what Uncle Bartlett had done to me, he had it arranged."

Her lips quirked up in a small smile, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Not really wanting to discuss the subject any longer, I said, "Did you want something of Hadley's? You know, a remembrance?"

Something flashed in her eyes, something that surprised me.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," said the Queen, with an adorable hint of a French accent.

Uh-oh. It couldn't be good that she'd switched on the charm.

"I did ask Hadley to hide something for me," she said. My bullshit meter was beeping like an alarm clock. "And if you come across it in your packing, I'd like to have it back."

"What does it look like?"

"It's a jewel," she said. "My husband gave it to me as an engagement gift. I happened to leave it here before I got married."

"You're welcome to look in Hadley's jewelry box," I said immediately. "If it belongs to you, of course you have to have it back."

"That's very kind of you," she said, her face back to its regular glassy smoothness. "It's a diamond, a large diamond, and it's fixed on a platinum bracelet."

"Please, look now," I suggested.

"Andre," she said, and with that word he took off for the bedroom. He came back after a moment, the tiniest shake of his head telling the Queen he hadn't found what she wanted to reclaim. "I must have it back," she told me. "You understand, a wedding between vampire rulers is not a love match, where much can be forgiven? To lose a gift from your spouse, that's a very grave offense. And our spring ball is scheduled for two nights from now. The King expects to see me wearing his gifts. If I'm not…" Her voice trailed away, and even Andre looked almost worried.

"I'm getting your point," I said. "If it's here, you'll get it back, okay?" I spread my hands, asking her if she believed me.

"All right," she said. "Andre, I can't spend any more time here," and she stood to leave. Andre began to walk around the couch, and when I stood up, for just a fraction of a second, he and I were dangerously close. He froze, turned to me, and grabbed my arm. I noticed that his nostrils were flared.

He held my wrist to his nose, and inhaled deeply. "Do you think she knows she has fairy blood?" he asked Sophie-Anne.

I stared right into his eyes, and he stared right back at me. "I what?" I hadn't heard him correctly, I was sure. "I have what?"

"He has a nose for it," the Queen said, "My Andre." She looked faintly proud.

"I was hanging around with my friend Claudine earlier in the day," I said. "She's a fairy. That's where the smell is coming from." I really must need to shower.

"You permit?" Andre asked, and without waiting for an answer, he jabbed my wounded arm with a fingernail, right above the bandage.

"Yow!" I said in protest.

He let a little blood trickle onto his finger, and he put it in his mouth. He rolled it around, as if it were a sip of wine, and at last he said, "No, this smell of fairy is not from association. It's in your blood." Andre looked at me in a way that was meant to tell me that his words made it a done deal.

We made our way back downstairs with Andre leading, the queen next, and me trailing behind. When we reached the courtyard, I was absolutely amazed to see Quinn standing there! He and Eric were standing a few feet apart, simply glaring at each other. Their distaste for one another was obvious.

"Oh yes," Sophie-Anne said, turning back to me once more. "In light of certain circumstances, I have arranged for Quinn to be with you tomorrow, for your own protection."

As happy as I was to see Quinn, I knew that the last thing I needed was something to cause even more tension. However, I knew that the queen would not let me refuse. "Alright," I said, "And I appreciate your concern."

Sophie-Anne nodded slightly, and turned back to Quinn. "For now though, Quinn, I would like for you to return with us. I have a few questions for Jake Purifoy, and I'm sure he'd be more at ease if he had someone familiar with him."

Quinn bowed his head, said "Yes, your majesty," and then took a step towards me. "I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, babe," he said, and then pressed a kiss to my cheek. I noticed a smug look on his face when Eric growled faintly.

All of the vampires, plus Quinn, began to make their way back to car, but, Eric hesitated for a moment. Turning to face me, he said, "I'll come by tomorrow at first dark to check on your progress."

I nodded and said, "Okay," and then watched as he turned, and followed the others back out through the gate.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Several lines in this chapter come directly from Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris. No copyright infringement is intended**

That night, I slept better than I had in at least a week. I'm sure that it was, in part, due to the fact that I'd gotten to see Hadley one last time. Well, at least in a way. But, it was mostly because I'd found some honest-to-goodness cotton sheets. I'd tossed the silky ones straight into one of the trash bags I'd found. As if in a dream, I heard the witches come carousing back into the courtyard. They were still congratulating one another with alcohol-lubricated vigor. It made me miss the solidarity of my own home back in Bon Temps.

When I got up, I noticed it was after ten in the morning. I stretched, smiling at how wonderful it felt. There was a knocking at the door, so I pulled on a pair of Hadley's spandex exercise pants and a hot pink tank top, and made my way down the hallway. I saw boxes through the peephole, and opened the door feeling really happy.

"Miss Stackhouse?" asked the young man holding the flattened boxes. When I nodded, he said, "I got orders to bring you as many boxes as you want. Will thirty do to start with?"

"Oh, yes," I said. "Oh, that'll be great."

I stepped aside to allow him to enter, and he followed me into the living room. He handed me a plastic grocery sack which held various types of tape, markers, and scissors, then set about assembling some of the boxes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," I said.

"Oh, 'scuse me," he said, sounding natural for the first time. "My name is Everett O'Dell Smith."

He explained to me that he was a student at Tulane Business School, and that a professor of his had received a call from Mr. Cataliades, requesting a day-time assistant. He said he was glad to have the opportunity to earn some much needed money, but was even more excited about the prospect of being able to sit in court with Mr. Cataliades during his next five cases.

"Will you have time this afternoon to take me to my cousin's bank," I asked him. I wanted to get everything taken care of quickly so I could get back home.

"Sure will," he said congenially.

"You're not missing a class now, are you?"

"Oh, no, I got two hours before my second class."

He'd already been to a class and accumulated all this stuff before I'd even gotten up. Well, he hadn't been up half the night watching his dead cousin walk around.

"On your way to class, could you take these to the nearest Goodwill of Salvation Army store?" I asked, indicating the multiple garbage bags full of clothes. I'd gone over the garments quite carefully to make sure Hadley hadn't hidden anything in them, and then put them in the sacks, knowing I wouldn't be keeping any of it. Hadley and I weren't the same size, and we most certainly did NOT have the same taste.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, whipping out a notebook and scribbling in it. "Anything else?" he prompted me.

I was about to ask if he could bring me back something to eat, when there was another knock at the door. I excused myself to answer it while Everett assembled more boxes. When I opened the door, I was glad to see Quinn standing there, holding a large cup of coffee, and a bag with something greasy. I smiled up at him, but my smile slowly faded as I noticed a look of irritation on his face.

"It struck me that your cousins might not have food, so I brought some beignets," he said, handing me the bag and the coffee.

I invited him in, and we walked back into the living room. Quinn introduced himself to Everett, and began helping with box assembly. After I'd finished the coffee and beignets, I excused myself to change into some jeans. Then, I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. When I'd returned, I was surprised to find Quinn alone.

He handed me a slip of paper with Everett's cell number on it. "He says to call him when you need some more boxes, and he took all the bagged clothes with him," he said, refusing to look up at me.

I wasn't sure what had put Quinn in such a foul mood, but, I knew that it would end up being a very long day if I couldn't get to the bottom of it.

"Quinn, have I said or done something to upset you?" I asked.

"How'd she talk you into it, Sookie? If you'd yelled, I'd have been right up there. Or maybe you wanted to do that? I would have sworn you weren't the type."

Okay, now I was REALLY confused. "What the hell are you talking about, Quinn? What is it I was supposed to have done?"

When he finally turned his gaze and looked directly at me, his beautiful purple eyes were as cold as ice. "The Queen told the King, in front of EVERYONE I might add, that when you were alone with her and Andre last night, you and Andre had sex and let her watch."

My eyes widened as I felt my jaw drop. Why in the world would she have done that? But then, I remembered how worried she'd been about the King knowing about her missing bracelet. She was frightened of her husband, and her husband's vicious looking bodyguard had been there last night. She must've needed an excuse for why the three of us were alone in the apartment for such a long time.

"I didn't go to bed with anyone last night, Quinn. It's okay if others think that, though," I simply said. I didn't want to risk getting the Queen into even more trouble, because I'm sure the consequences would affect me as well.

Quinn stared at me for a long moment, then nodded, and went back to his work. It was obvious though that he wasn't nearly as tense as he'd been when he arrived. Once we'd finished putting the boxes together, Quinn asked "So, what's the plan, and how can I help?"

"Okay, the plan is…" I didn't exactly have one more than 'go through this stuff and sort it out,' and Quinn couldn't do that for me.

"How's this?" I asked. "You get everything out of the kitchen cabinets, and set it out where I can see it all, and I'll make a 'keep or toss' decision. You can pack what I want to keep, and put what I want to toss out on the gallery. I hope the rain stays away." The sunny morning was clouding over fast. "While we work, I'll fill you in on what happened here last night."

Despite the threat of bad weather, we worked all morning, called in a pizza for lunch, and resumed work in the afternoon. The stuff I didn't want went into garbage bags, and Quinn carried them all down to the courtyard. I tried to admire his muscles only when he wasn't looking, and I think I was successful. Quinn was very interested to hear about the ectoplasmic reconstruction, and we talked about what it might all mean without reaching any conclusions. Jake didn't have any enemies among the vampires that Quinn knew of, and Quinn thought that Jake must have been killed for the embarrassment it would cause Hadley, rather than for any sin of Jake's own.

I heard the first peal of thunder in the distance, and had enough practical presence of mind to switch on a lamp. Downstairs, I felt Amelia's brain click on, after a fashion. I'd noticed earlier that the bike which belonged to Bob, one of the other witches here last night, was still propped against the brick wall in the courtyard. I smiled as I recognized the feel of her brain. Amelia had a hangover. She thought of Bob, who was still asleep beside her. Aside from a basic, "How could I?" Amelia's most coherent thought was that she needed coffee. She needed it bad. She couldn't even turn on a light in the apartment, which was darkening steadily with the approach of the storm. A light would hurt her eyes too much.

My thoughts were interrupted when Quinn began to speak, again.

"You know, Eric didn't really seem that bothered by hearing that you'd had sex with Andre while Sophie-Anne watched."

"Quinn, I already told you that didn't actually happen."

"Yeah, but Eric doesn't know that."

I stiffened a little. "What's your point?"

"Well, I'm just saying, if he doesn't care enough to be upset about you having sex with someone else, it just goes to show he doesn't believe in monogamy. I really doubt he'd be capable of remaining faithful if he were in a relationship."

I sighed and stopped what I was doing, turning to look directly at him. "Quinn, if Eric acted like he wasn't bothered by hearing what I'd supposedly done, it was probably because me knows he well enough to know that's not something I would EVER do. It seems pretty obvious to me that you and Eric don't really get along, although I have no idea as to the reason why, so it's not like I'd ask the two of you to spend time together. But, Quinn, Eric has saved my life more than once. He's my friend, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't speak badly of him when you're around me. I won't let him bad-mouth you, so, I'd ask you to have the same respect."

He frowned, but then nodded and went back to work. I could've sworn I'd heard him mutter something that sounded like "damn bloodsucker," but, I couldn't tell for sure, so I went back to work as well.

The power flickered momentarily as another loud peal of thunder sounded, and it surprised me so much that I stumbled backwards a step or two. Quinn wrapped his arms around me and held me from behind, which was the only thing that kept me from landing on my butt on the kitchen floor. When the lights stopped flickering, Quinn loosened his grip on me, and we each chuckled a little at the situation. I turned in his arms, intending to thank him. The look in his eyes was intense, and I knew he planned on kissing me when his gaze dropped to my lips.

Just before his lips met mine, I registered that there were multiple brains with red, snarly thoughts getting closer and closer. "Quinn!" I exclaimed, just in the moment his sharp hearing picked up the shuffle of the footsteps. He went into fighting mode. Since I hadn't been home to check the calendar symbols, I'd forgotten we were close to the full moon. There were claws on Quinn's hands now, claws at least three inches long, instead of fingers. His eyes slanted and became altogether gold, with dilated black pupils.

There wasn't time to think about anything but our best defense. I was the weak link, and I had better depend on surprise. I hurried past him to the door, and lifted the lamp from its pedestal. When the first Were burst through the door, I bashed him upside the head, and he staggered, and the one coming in right after him tripped over his flailing predecessor, and Quinn was more than ready for the third one.

Unfortunately, there were six more.

It took just two of them to subdue me, and I was kicking and screaming, biting and hitting, with every bit of energy I had. It took four for Quinn, but those four succeeded only because they used a stun gun. I was hustled down the stairs, my feet hardly touching them, by two husky men I'd never seen before. These same two men had bound my wrists together with duct tape, and then shoved me into the back of a van that had just pulled into the courtyard. A moment later, they pushed Quinn in after me. His hands were bound behind him, which looked very painful, and he was bleeding from the head, and he seemed kind of disoriented.

While Quinn struggled to sit up, I looked around for anything we could use to our advantage. I discovered the back of the van was awash with trash and absolutely filthy. There was a wire-mesh screen between the two front seats and the open rear, but I couldn't find anything I could use as a weapon.

Quinn grunted a little to get my attention, and when I looked up at him, he tried to mouth something at me, but, it wasn't making any sense. I raised my hands and pointed to his head, then to mine, looking at him significantly, hoping he'd catch on that I wanted him to think something at me. Finally, his thought shoved into my head. _Phone in my pocket_, he told me.

I managed to finally work my hands into Quinn's pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. It was harder than I'd anticipated, though, with the van rocking, while our Were assailants checked on us every minute or so.

_Queen's headquarters on speed dial_, he told me when he felt the phone leave his pocket. But that was lost on me. I didn't know how to access speed dial. It took me a few moments to make Quinn understand that, and I'm still not sure how I did it, but finally he _thought_ the phone number at me, and I awkwardly punched it in, pressed SEND, and held the phone up to his face. Maybe we hadn't thought that through all the way, because when a tiny voice said, "Hello?" the Weres heard it.

"You didn't search him?" the driver asked the passenger incredulously.

"Hell no, I was trying to get him in the back and get myself out of the rain," he answered. "Pull over, damnit!"

_Has someone had your blood?_ Quinn asked me silently, and after a precious second, I said, "Eric!"

"Quinn and Sookie have been taken by some Weres," Quinn said into the phone. "Eric the Northman can track her."

I hoped whoever answered the phone at the queen's headquarters was on the ball. But then the two Weres were yanking open the van doors and dragging us out. One of them socked me, while the other shocked Quinn with a stun gun.

"You dumb shit, Clete! Who was he calling?" yelled a voice from the second van, which had apparently been following us. Our two captors looked at each other with identical expressions of consternation, and I would've laughed if I hadn't been hurting so badly.

They searched Quinn very thoroughly, and then did the same to me. I gasped when the searcher squeezed my ass, and Quinn let loose a snarling sound, which was absolutely menacing. The Were who'd been holding the stun gun used it once again on Quinn, and this time it left him completely unconscious. They put me into the back of the van again, but carried Quinn over to put in the other. So much for the two of us escaping together, I thought.

The further we drove, the more frightened and desperate I became. I just had to find a way out of this. I thought my prayers had been answered when I spotted a Phillips screwdriver wedged at the bottom of the partition. I grabbed it, and after some finagling, I was able to rip the tape that had been binding my wrists. I was trying to come up with a way to get out of the van when I felt it slow down, and then stop. A quick glance out the front windshield showed that we'd reached our destination, which was a little house in a clearing surrounded by woods.

The driver of the van I was in got out, and went over to the other van to help carry Quinn. From what I could see, he had regained consciousness, but still seemed a bit disoriented. They had just rounded the house, and were out of sight, when the back door to my van was opened, and a Were grabbed me and pulled me out. I knew this was my last chance to escape, that it was now or never. I'd just have to figure a way to get Quinn free afterwards.

It was just my luck that the Were they'd left to bring me into the house was the slow-witted Clete, and I noticed that he had the stun gun sitting in a holster on his belt. I kept my hands pressed together so he wouldn't know they were no longer bound. As soon as I got the chance, I threw the screwdriver to the side, and when he turned to see what had caused the noise, I grabbed the stun gun, pressed it to the back of his neck at the base of his skull, and pressed the trigger. He gasped, and stumbled forward, falling to the ground. In a lucky twist of fate, he hit his head on a rock as he landed, and was out like a light.

I kept myself as low to the ground as I could, picking my feet up carefully to keep my making too much noise. I knew they'd be expecting Clete to haul me in with him at any moment, so I had to work fast. I quickly glanced up at the sky, trying to figure out if the sun had set, yet. But, the rainclouds made it impossible to tell. I could only hope that someone at the Queen's compound would be arriving soon.

When I saw a lit window, I hugged the side of the house and inched sideways until I could peer in at the very corner of the glass. What I saw made my blood boil. Barbara and Gordon Pelt were seated on a loveseat as their daughter Sandra paced back and forth in front of them. The older Pelts looked as if they were going to a Lands' End photo shoot, while Sandra was more adventurously clad in skintight stretch khakis and a bright striped short-sleeved sweater. Sandra was dressed for trolling for cute guys at the mall, rather than torturing a couple of people. But torturing was what she'd been planning to do. There was a straight-backed chair crammed into the tiny room, too, and it had straps and handcuffs already attached. On a familiar note, there was a roll of duct tape sitting ready beside it. In the back of my mind, I wondered why there was only one chair, and not two. But, I figured they hadn't planned on Quinn being with me when they grabbed me, so they hadn't prepared for it.

Moving slowly and carefully, I squatted down and moved south until I was below the second window. I was feeling pretty proud of my sneaking ability, which should have alerted me to potential disaster. Pride goeth before a fall.

Though the window was dark, when I eased up into position, I was looking through the glass right into a small swart man with a mustache and goatee. He was sitting at a table right by the window, and he'd been holding a cup of coffee in his hand. In his shock, he let it drop to the table and the hot backsplash hit his hands and chest and chin.

He shrieked, though I wasn't sure he was using actual words. I was around the corner of the house and up the steps to the little deck faster than you could say Jack Robinson. I yanked open the screen door and pushed in the wooden door, and I leaped into the kitchen with the stun gun on. The small guy was still patting at his face with a towel while I zapped him, and he went down like a sack of bricks.

Sandra Pelt, who'd had the advantage of already being on her feet, charged into the kitchen, teeth bared. The stun gun hadn't had time to recharge again, so it didn't do a damn thing to her, and she was on me like an – well, like an enraged wolf.

However, she was still in the form of a girl, and I was desperate and desperately angry.

A familiar voice in the background bellowed, "Let me in!" and, hoping it was vampires come to help, I yelled in answer, "Come on now! I need help!"

When you work as a barmaid, you see plenty of fights, so, I more or less knew what I was doing. Right now I was willing to do whatever it took. Sandra was mean, but she was lighter and less experienced, and after some wrestling and punching and hair pulling that went by in a flash, I was on top of her and had her pinned to the floor. She snarled and snapped but she couldn't reach my neck, and I was prepared to head-butt her if I had to.

She was squirming underneath me, and I dared not let go to shift my grip. "Listen, Sandra," I panted, "hold still, damnit!"

"Fuck you," she said bitterly, and her efforts redoubled.

"This is actually kind of exciting," a familiar voice said, and I glanced up to see Eric looking down at us with wide blue eyes.

"I could use some help here," I snapped, and he said, "Of course, Sookie, though I'm enjoying the wiggling around. Let go of the girl and stand up."

"Only if you're ready for action," I said, my breathing ragged with the effort of holding Sandra down.

"I'm always ready for action," Eric said, with a glowing smile. "Sandra, look at me."

She was too smart for that. Sandra squeezed her eyes shut and fought even harder. In a second, she freed one of her arms and swung it back to get momentum for her punch. But Eric dropped to his knees and caught the hand before it could fly at my head.

"That's enough," he said in an entirely different tone, and her eyes flew open in surprise. Though he still couldn't catch her with his eyes, I figured he had charge of her now. I rolled off the Were to lie on my back in what remained of the floor in the tiny kitchen.

Eric, who was having almost as much trouble with Sandra as I'd had, took up a lot more of the available space. Exasperated with the Were, he adopted a simple solution. He squeezed the fist he'd caught, and she screamed. And shut up. And quit struggling.

I sat still for a moment, trying to catch my breath. Then, I asked Eric "What about the three other Weres? And the Pelts?"

"All three of the Weres are dead. Rasul has the Pelts covered." Eric said. "You have another fan, it seems."

"Oh, it's because of the fairy blood," I said irritably. "You know, it's not fair. Human guys don't like me. I know about two hundred of 'em who wouldn't want to date me if I came with a Chevy truck. But because supes are attracted to the fairy smell, I get accused of being a guy magnet. How wrong is that?"

"You have fairy blood," Eric said, as if his own light bulb had just lit up. "That explains a lot."

That hurt my feelings. "Oh no, you couldn't just like me," I said, tired and hurting beyond coherence. "Oh no, gosh, there has to be a _reason_. And it's not gonna be my sparkling personality, oh no! It's gonna be my blood, because it's _special_. Not me, _I'm_ not special…"

And I would have gone on and on, if Quinn hadn't said, "I don't give a damn about fairies, myself." Any available room left in the kitchen vanished.

I scrambled to my feet. "You okay?" I asked in a wobbly voice.

"Yeah," he said in his deepest voice. "They'd just finished untying my hands and feet when Eric and Rasul busted in. It looked like they were going to strap me to a chair and force me to watch while they tortured you."

Eric growled a little as he lifted Sandra off the ground, and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I followed him back into the living room, where Rasul had Gordon and Barbara handcuffed and sitting on the floor. Eric threw Sandra down next to them, and then grabbed the roll of duct tape, binding her hands behind her. He stood and took a step back, then tilted his head as if he'd just had an interesting thought. He turned back to her once again, and put a strip of duct tape over her mouth. I didn't even attempt to hide my smile.

I sat down in the straight-backed chair and I asked Barbara Pelt, "What were you going to do with me?"

"Work on you until you told us the truth, and Sandra was satisfied," she said. "Our family couldn't be at peace until we knew the truth. And the truth lies in you. I just know it."

I was troubled. Well, beyond troubled. "Eric," I said, turning to look at him, "what should I do?"

I don't think I'd ever asked Eric for advice before. He was surprised. He looked to be in deep thought for a moment, and then from behind me, Quinn said, "You don't belong to him. You don't need his permission to do anything, Sookie."

I kept my eyes on Eric, and after another moment, he nodded. I briefly turned to look at Quinn, and said, "It's not only my secret to tell." Then, turning back to the Pelt, I began to tell them what had happened to Debbie. I'd thought about that evening so often that my words came automatically. I didn't cry, because all my tears had been shed months ago, in private. Once I'd finished the story, the Pelts sat back and stared at me.

"That sounds like our Debbie," Barbara Pelt said. "This has the ring of truth."

"She did have a gun," said Gordon Pelt. "I have it to her for Christmas two years ago." He focused on Eric and asked, "You still don't remember where you put her?"

"I would tell you if I did," Eric said. _Not that I care_, his tone implied. "You hired the two kids who attacked Sookie at her work," Eric added. It was a statement, not a question.

"Sandra did," Gordon admitted. "We didn't know about it until Sandra had already bitten them. She'd promised them…" He shook his head. "But, we punished Sandra for that."

"Oh, did you take away her cell phone for a week?" If I sounded sarcastic, I thought I had a right to be. Even cooperative, the Pelts were pretty horrible. "Those kids are dead now. Because of Sandra."

"She's our daughter," Barbara said. "And she believed she was avenging her murdered sister."

I shook my head in frustration for a moment. "Did you send Tanya to Bon Temps?" I asked.

Barbara looked proud of herself. "Yes, I did that. You know our Debbie was adopted? She was a werefox."

I nodded. Eric looked quizzical; I didn't think he'd met Tanya.

"Tanya is a member of Debbie's birth family, and she wanted to do something to help."

It was kind of gratifying to discover Tanya was as untrustworthy as I'd suspected. I wondered if I had the right to tell Sam this whole story, by way of warning. I'd have to think about that later.

"Do you agree we're square on this?" I asked baldly. "I've hurt you, you've hurt me. Even?"

Sandra shook her head from side to side, but her parents ignored her. Thank God for duct tape. Gordon and Barbara nodded at each other.

Gordon said, "You killed Debbie, but we do believe that you killed her in self-defense. And our living daughter took extreme and unlawful methods to attack you… It goes against my grain to say this, but I think we have to agree to leave you alone, after this day."

Sandra made a lot of weird noises.

"With these stipulations." Gordon's face suddenly looked hard as a rock. The yuppie man took a backseat to the Were. "You won't come after Sandra. And you stay out of Mississippi."

"Done," I said instantly. "Can you control Sandra enough to make her keep to this agreement?" It was a rude but valid question. Sandra had enough balls for an army, and I doubted very much if the Pelts had ever really had control over either of their daughters.

"Sandra," Gordon said to his daughter. Her eyes blazed at him from her forcibly mute face. "Sandra, this is law. We are giving our word to this woman, and our word is binding on you. If you defy me, I'll challenge you at the next full moon. I'll take you down in front of the pack."

Both mother and daughter looked shocked, Sandra more so than her mother. Sandra's eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she nodded.

"Know this, as well," Rasul said. "Her Majesty is not at all happy that her invited guest was kidnapped while staying here under the Queen's protection. We will not kill you now, simply because you have made a deal with Miss Stackhouse. However, should you choose to bother her about this again, you will also face the wrath of the Queen of Louisiana."

I could tell by the look of seriousness on both Rasul and Eric's faces that this was a big deal. I guess that this must be what it felt like to have friends in high places.

Rasul, Eric, Quinn and I began to make our way back out to the car which Eric and Rasul had arrived in. Once we were outside the house, we could hear moaning. "Oh, I forgot about the Were on the other side of the house."

Quinn smiled menacingly, and said in a hushed voice, "I'll take care of him." As I watched him walk around to the back of the house, I stumbled a bit over a rock. I was completely exhausted. Thankfully, Eric swooped me up in his arms before I could fall. I wrapped one arm around the back of his neck, and rested my head on his shoulder. Rasul opened the door to the backseat of the car, and Eric crawled in with me still cradled in his lap.

Once he'd shut the car door, Rasul turned, and seemed to be making his way back to where Quinn was. I took advantage of the privacy we had to ask Eric something that had been on my mind since earlier. "Eric, why weren't you upset when Sophie-Anne told everyone that she'd watched Andre and I have sex last night?"

He smiled, and kissed the top of my head. "Because I didn't believe it. Not even for a second. I know that's not something you would ever do."

I couldn't help but smile, and I hugged myself tighter to him. I felt myself begin to drift off to sleep, and was out before Rasul and Quinn made it back to the car.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N You'll probably notice that, in Definitely Dead, CH had Sookie describe Bob the witch as 'Mormonish.' I have absolutely no problems with that. However, being a member of the Mormon church myself (albeit an inactive member), I made the decision that, in my own story, I would change it so he'd just be a 'geeky' witch. It's just a personal preference, which I hope everyone understands.**

**Once again, quite a bit of this is verbatim from Definitely Dead. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit will be made.**

I woke up as Eric crawled out of the backseat of the car when we got back to Hadley's apartment. He offered to carry me up the stairs, but, I asked him to put me down so I could take a minute and stretch. As comfortable as sleeping on Eric's lap had been, I had a definite kink in my neck. Quinn pressed a light kiss to my forehead, and just got in his car and drove to wherever it was that he was staying. Amelia had come out of her apartment, all happy I was safely back, and I'd had to return a call from Mr. Cataliades, who wondered if I was quite alright. He also wanted me to go to the bank with him to finalize Hadley's financial affairs. Since I'd missed my chance to go with Everett, I'd been grateful. I could tell that Amelia was very curious about everything that had happened, but, thankfully, she seemed understanding when I told her how exhausted I was. She said she'd make me breakfast the next morning, and I could tell her the whole story while we ate.

I stumbled a little as I tried to walk up the stairs, and Eric ended up having to carry me after all. He waggled his eyebrows a bit and offered to help me change into my pajamas, but I laughed and told him I was pretty sure I could handle it on my own. He sat in the living room while I quickly changed, and when I went to tell him goodnight, I was surprised to find that he'd cleaned up the mess that had been made when the Weres first attacked Quinn and I. I was touched by the gesture, and told him so as I gave him a hug.

"Thank you for finding me," I said softly as he pulled away from me.

"I will _always_ be there when you need me, Sookie," he answered, just as softly. The color of his eyes suddenly began to darken, and I knew that I'd seen them that shade before, but couldn't pinpoint when. "You truly are amazing, and I find that I have no desire to return to the way my existence was before you were in it." He bent down, and gently, but incredibly sensuously, kissed my mouth, then left. It was only after I'd laid down later that I'd realized when I'd seen that look in his eyes before. Back when he'd been staying with me while he was cursed, he had that same look in his eyes whenever we made love.

The next morning, Amelia and I sat together in her kitchen, eating omelets. I told her all the details of being kidnapped and almost tortured, and she told me all about her crazy night with Bob the geeky witch. She was glowing with pride and happiness. Not only had Bob been wonderful in bed, they'd been up in time to watch Quinn's and my abduction, and to have the brilliant idea of calling the vampire queen's mansion instead of the regular police. I hadn't told her yet that Quinn and I had made our own call, because I didn't know which one had been more effective, and I enjoyed seeing Amelia so happy.

When I returned to Hadley's apartment after breakfast, I'd found a message on Hadley's answering machine telling me that the queen expected to see me at the party at the old monastery tonight. "I don't want you to leave the city without seeing me again," the queen's human secretary had quoted her as saying. While I was returning from my trip to the bank with Mr. Cataliades, I asked him if there really was any way that I could get out of going. But, sadly, he informed me that there was not. He also let me know that the dress code was formal.

When I'd walked back into the courtyard, Amelia came out of her apartment and let me know that a messenger had tried to deliver a package to me, but since I wasn't there, had left it with her instead. I went back upstairs holding the large package she'd given me, as well as a box of the few things that had been in Hadley's safe-deposit box. I put the packages on the kitchen counter, accidentally knocking a few things to the floor. I'd been packing up the few items I wanted to keep when Mr. Cataliades had arrived earlier. As I picked the things up off of the floor, I heard a strange noise coming from a coffee can which seemed to have been unopened. Now if I wanted to avert disaster, I **had** to go to the queen's spring party, the supernatural event of the year.

As I contemplated how to come up with a formal dress, I opened the package that had been delivered while I was out. There was a small note card sitting on top of a layer of tissue paper. I recognized Eric's handwriting as I picked up the card.

_My Dearest Sookie,_

_The Queen mentioned that she wanted you in attendance at her ball, and it occurred to me that you were probably lacking in the proper attire. I hope you will find this adequate. I look forward to seeing you in it this evening. Unfortunately, I will be unable to pick you up myself and accompany you this evening. However, as he has been extended an invitation as well, I'm sure Quinn would be willing to escort you._

'_Til then,_

_E_

I lifted the tissue paper, and gasped at what I saw. It was a floor length pale pink dress made entirely of satin. I wasn't sure how or when Eric had managed to get it, but, I was grateful all the same. I called Quinn, who sounded happy at the prospect of being my escort for the evening, then went downstairs to see if Amelia had some shoes I could borrow.

Amelia helped me with my hair and make-up, and loaned me a pair of very nice, if a little too small, black pumps that had a cute little clasp that went around the ankle. Quinn arrived right on time, and before I knew it, we were on our way.

"How'd the trip to the bank go?" he asked shortly after we'd left.

"The trip to the bank. Well, her bank account didn't have a lot in it, which I figured would be the case. Hadley didn't have much sense about money. Hadley didn't have much sense, period. But the safe-deposit box…"

The safe-deposit box had held Hadley's birth certificate, a marriage license, and a divorce decree dated more than three years ago – both naming the same man, I was glad to see – and a laminated copy of my aunt's obituary. So, Hadley **had** known when her mother had died, and she'd cared enough to keep the clipping. There were pictures from our shared childhood, too: my father and his sister; Aunt Linda and Jason, me, and Hadley; my grandmother and her husband. There was a pretty necklace with sapphires and diamonds (which Mr. Cataliades had said the queen had given to Hadley), and a pair of matching earrings.

But, the queen's bracelet was not there. That was why Mr. Cataliades had wanted to accompany me, I think; he half expected the bracelet would be there, and he seemed quite anxious when I held the lockbox out for him so he could see its contents for himself.

"I finished packing the kitchen stuff this afternoon after Cataliades took me back to Hadley's apartment," I said to Quinn, and watched his reaction. I would never again take the disinterestedness of my companions for granted. I found myself fairly convinced Quinn had not been helping me pack the day before in order to search for something, after I saw that his reaction was perfectly calm.

"That's good," he said. "Sorry I didn't make it over to help you today. I was closing out Jake's dealings with Special Events. I had to call my partners, let them know. I had to call Jake's girlfriend. He wasn't steady enough to be around her, if she even wants to see him again. She's not a vamp lover, to put it mildly."

At the moment, I wasn't either. I couldn't fathom the true reason the queen wanted me at the party, but I had found another reason to see her. Quinn smiled at me, and I smiled back at him, hoping that some good would come out of this evening. I felt horrible that Quinn had gotten caught up in the mess with the Pelt's. He'd been hurt in a plot of revenge against me, and I wanted to make it up to him.

"We're getting close," he told me when we reached one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans, the Garden District. The houses, set in beautiful grounds, would cost many times what even the Bellefleur mansion would fetch. In the middle of these marvelous homes, we came to a high wall that extended for a whole block. This was the renovated monastery that the queen used for entertaining. There was security out the ying-yang here, where the elite vampires occasionally partied with the elite humans. Tonight the party was supes only, the first large party the newlyweds had given since they'd become a couple.

Three of the queen's vampires were at the gate, along with three of the Arkansas vampires. Peter Threadgill's vampires all wore a uniform, though I suspected the king called it livery. The Arkansas bloodsuckers, male and female, were wearing white suits with blue shirts and red vests. The suits were beyond tacky and into some fashion hall of shame all on their own. I laughed a little wondering what Pam would've thought of the garish outfits.

Quinn had the queen's card to show to the guards at the gate, but still they called up to the main house. Quinn looked uneasy, and I hoped he was as concerned as I about the extreme security and the fact that Threadgill's vampires had worked so hard to distinguish themselves from the queen's adherents. I was thinking hard about the queen's need to offer the king's vamps a reason she would go upstairs with me at Hadley's. I thought of the anxiety she displayed when she asked about the bracelet. If I wasn't mistaken, I'd say Sophie-Anne was terrified of her husband.

Quinn must've sensed how tense I was, because he reached over and covered my hand with his own. "What did you do today, besides pack?" he asked.

"I made a lot of phones calls," I said. "And one of them paid off."

"Calls? Where to?"

"Gas stations, all along the route from New Orleans to Bon Temps."

He turned to stare at me, but I pointed just in time for Quinn to apply the brakes. A lion strolled across the drive.

"Okay, what's that? Animal? Or shifter?" I was edgier by the minute.

"Animal," Quinn said.

Seeing the lion brought to mind something I'd been wanting to ask Quinn about. "What type of tiger do you change into?" I asked him.

"Bengal," he said with a proud smile. "After I change, I'm seven feet long and I weigh about four hundred fifty pounds."

I smiled back at him. I wondered if he might someday change for me and let me get a good look. After all, how many people can say they were able to pet a tiger and not get mauled?

Once we'd parked and exited the car, Quinn took my hand, and we walked into a long hall that seemed to run nearly the length of the building. A Threadgill vampire was standing at the door of a room that seemed to serve as a reception area.

"Would you like to check your bag?" she asked, obviously put out at being relegated to a hat-check girl.

"No, thanks," I said, and thought she was going to pull it out from under my arm.

"May I search it?" she asked. "We screen for weapons."

"Of course not. I have no weapons."

"Sookie," Quinn said, trying not to sound alarmed. "You have to let her look in your purse. It's procedure."

I glared at him. "You could have told me," I said sharply.

The door guard seized my purse with an air of triumph. She turned it out over a tray, and its few contents clattered to the metal surface: a compact, a lipstick, a tiny tube of glue, a handkerchief, a ten-dollar bill, and a tampon in a rigid plastic applicator, completely covered in plastic wrap.

Quinn was not unsophisticated enough to turn red, but he did glance discreetly away. The vampire, who had died long before women carried such items in their purses, asked me its purpose and nodded when I explained. She repacked my little evening bag and handed it to me, indicating with a hand gesture that we should proceed down the hall.

"Do we have to pass through any more security," I asked Quinn in a hushed voice as we moved along the corridor.

"I don't know, I don't see any up ahead."

"I have to do something," I said. "Excuse me, while I find the nearest ladies' room."

Quinn was clearly not happy with me, but he waited outside the ladies' room while I ducked into one of the stalls and made a few adjustments. When I came out, I'd tossed the tampon container into the little bin in the stall.

At the end of the corridor we passed through a door into a very large room that had been the monks' refectory. Around the sides of the room were chairs in conversational groupings. The whole room was decorated in white and blue, the colors of Louisiana. The middle was cleared for dancing, and the color was wooden. There was a dais for musicians close to the refreshments table, and another dais at the opposite end of the room for the royalty.

I looked around for the queen, and I finally saw her standing by her husband. She was wearing a long-sleeved orange silk dress, and she looked fabulous. Peter Threadgill was wearing a tux, and he looked equally impressive. Jade Flower was standing behind him, sword strapped to her back, even though she was wearing a red sequined dress (in which, by the way, she looked awful). Andre, also fully armed, was at his station behind the queen. Sigebert and Wybert couldn't be far off. I spotted them on either side of a door that I assumed led to the queen's private apartments.

Bill was in the room. I caught a glimpse of him in the far corner, in the opposite direction from the queen. He was staring at me, and just as I was turning to take him out of my line of vision, I noticed who he was standing with. I couldn't help but smile as Bubba waved at me, and Rasul smiled and inclined his head ever so slightly.

"You'll have to explain that to me some day," Quinn said, following the direction of my gaze.

"When we reach the royals, you go ahead of me. While I'm talking to the queen, you distract the king, okay?" I said to him as we joined the tail end of the reception line.

We reached Mr. Cataliades first. I guess he was sort of the queen's secretary of state. Or maybe attorney general would be more appropriate?

"Good to see you again, Mr. Cataliades," I said, in my most correct social tone. "I've got a surprise for you," I added.

"You may have to save it," he said with a kind of stiff cordiality. "The queen is about to have the first dance with her new king. And we're all so looking forward to seeing the present the king gave her."

"You know," I said, "I heard that someone from here stopped to get gas a week ago Wednesday, on her way to Bon Temps. Someone with a long sword." I stepped away from him, and looked down at my feet. "Oh dear, my shoe has come unbuckled. Do you mind?" I asked Quinn, and put my hand on his arm for balance as I lifted my leg slightly and ran my hand under the bottom of my dress.

When I was finished, I took a step and found myself directly in front of the queen. I held out my right hand, and the queen was forced to take it in her own. I had counted on obliging the queen to follow the human custom of shaking hands, and I was mighty relieved when she did. Quinn had passed from the queen to the king, and he said, "Your Majesty, I'm sure you remember me. I was the event coordinator at your wedding. Did the flowers turn out like you wanted?"

Somewhat startled, Peter Threadgill turned his eyes on Quinn, and Jade Flower kept her eyes on what her king did.

Trying very hard to keep my movements swift but not jerky, I pressed my left hand and what was in it onto the queen's wrist. She didn't flinch, but I think she thought about it. She glanced down at her wrist to see what I'd put on it, and her eyes closed in relief.

"Yes, my dear, our visit was lovely," she said at random. "Andre enjoyed it very much, as did I." She glanced back over her shoulder, and Andre picked up his cue, and inclined his head to me, in tribute to my supposed talents in the sack. I was so glad to get the ordeal over with that I smiled at him radiantly, and he looked a shade amused. The queen raised her arm slightly to beckon him closer, and her sleeve rode up. Suddenly Andre was smiling as broadly as I was.

After I very briefly greeted the king, Quinn and I moved away from the royals. A few moments later, a beautifully dressed vampire woman wearing a gray-green gown strewn with gleaming silver flowers raised her arm to get the attention of the crowd. Gradually, the assembled people fell silent.

"Sophie-Anne and Peter welcome you to their first joint entertainment. They invite all of you to have a wonderful evening of dancing, eating, and drinking. To open the dancing, our host and hostess will waltz."

Peter advanced on his wife, his arms at the ready to receive her, and in his carrying vampire voice he said, "Darling, show them the bracelets."

Sophie-Anne swept the crowd with a smile and raised her own arms to make the sleeves slide back, and a matching bracelet on each wrist shone at the guests.

For a moment, Peter Threadgill was absolutely still, as if someone had zapped him with a freeze gun. He altered his stance as he moved forward, after, and took one of her hands in both of his. He stared down at one bracelet, then released her hand to take the other. That bracelet, too, passed his silent test.

"Wonderful," he said, and if it was through his fangs, you'd only think they'd extended because he was horny for his beautiful wife. "You're wearing both of them."

"Of course," Sophie-Anne said, "My darling." Her smile was just as sincere at his. And away they danced.

After a few moments had passed, a few others began waltzing along with the royal vampire couple, who looked relieved to have company. When I heard Quinn heave a sigh, and turned to see why, I felt my breath catch in my throat. Eric was approaching us, and he looked absolutely wonderful in his tux.

He smiled when he reached us, and I saw his fangs run out as he looked me up and down. "Sookie, you look stunning," he said.

"Thanks," I said. "You're looking pretty spiffy yourself."

He chuckled a little, and extended his hand to me. "Might I have this dance?"

"Of course," I said. I thought I heard Quinn growl a little, but, I couldn't tell for sure with all the background noise. When I put my hand in Eric's, it felt like a jolt of electricity was making its way over my skin. I intertwined my fingers with his, and when his hand tightened around mine, I instinctively knew he felt it as well.

"Thank you for the dress, by the way. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't had it sent over," I said as we made our way to the dance floor.

"Have you made much progress with your packing?" he asked as he twirled me around.

"I'm finished, actually. Now, I just need a vehicle big enough for all the boxes, and I'll be ready to go home."

"The young man who was assigned to help you pack, Everett I believe his name is, was also asked to drive a moving van with everything. Tomorrow, I will pick you up at first dark, and he can follow us to your home."

Before I had a chance to say anything else about the subject, Eric stiffened slightly, and a faint growl rumbled in his chest. I turned my head a little to see what was upsetting him, and saw Bill glaring at the two of us. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to gain control of myself before sorrow was able to consume me. Eric tightened his grip on my waist, and I felt a breeze rush through my hair. When I opened my eyes, I realized that Eric had used his speed to move us off the dance door, and further away from Bill. We were standing against a wall not far from the dais that held the band.

"I realize this must be difficult, but do not let him see how much his betrayal is bothering you. He did not deserve your love, nor does he now deserve your tears. You are in a class high above him." Just as I felt a single tear drop from my lashes, Eric brought his hand to my face, and brushed it away with his thumb. I watched as he slowly placed his thumb in his mouth, and lick the salty moisture from his skin. He dipped his head towards mine, and I knew he was going to kiss me.

Unfortunately, before his mouth connected with my own, something hit us both in the legs. We both looked down, and I was horrified to see that it was a head. I made a sound. It wasn't a scream or a gasp; more like "Eeeeep."

Eric turned and extended his arms while using his back to press me into the wall. He looked in all directions, trying to analyze what was happening. There was a lot of screaming and a lot of movement. The screaming was all from the Weres and other supes who'd been invited to the party, and the movement was mostly from the vampires, who were looking for their allies amid the chaos. This was where the horrible outfits worn by the king's followers came into their own. It was instantly easy to see who belonged to the king. Of course, that made them an easy target, too, if you didn't happen to like the king and his minions.

I peeked out around Eric to make sense of what was going on. A thin black vampire with dreadlocks had whipped a sword with a curved blade out of nowhere, apparently. The blade was bloody, and I thought Dreadlocks was the headlopper. I looked down at the head, which was still on the ground next to my feet. It was beginning to flake away, but, it was still obvious that it had belonged to Wybert.

Fighting had broken out throughout the room. The queen and Andre were standing back to back in the middle of the floor. Andre was holding a gun in one hand and a long knife in the other, and the queen had somehow acquired a carving knife. There was a circle of white coats surrounding them, and when one fell, another would take its place. Sigebert was equally besieged on the bandstand.

The king was under attack from Rasul and Bubba, and in the back of my mind, I prayed that no harm would come to either of them. I was sure I'd find Jade Flower at the king's side, but she was having her own problems, I was glad to see. Mr. Cataliades was doing his best to – well, it looked like he was just trying to touch her. She was parrying his attempts with her whacking big sword, the sword that had sliced Gladiola in two, but neither of them looked like they were giving up any time soon.

Eric's body was still pressing me into the wall, and he was rigid with tension. "Eric, you need to go help the queen," I said.

"No, I'm not going to leave you without protection."

"I appreciate the concern, Eric, really I do. But, I think Sophie-Anne needs you more than I do right now." I could tell he wasn't going to move. I quickly glanced around us, and saw Quinn making his way to where we were. "Eric, Quinn's coming, he'll keep me safe. You're a strong fighter, the queen needs your help."

He quickly looked in the direction Quinn was, and once he also saw that he was indeed coming our way, he turned, and kissed me long and hard, and then scooped up Wybert's head. "Bowling for vampires," he said happily, and flung the disgusting object at the black vampire with an accuracy and force that knocked the sword out of the vampire's hand. Eric was on it with a great leap, and the sword swung on its owner with deadly force. With a war cry that had not been heard in a thousand years, Eric attacked the circle around the queen and Andre with a savagery and abandon that was almost beautiful in its way.

A shifter trying to find another way out of the room knocked against me with enough force to send me falling to my knees. Suddenly, there were too many people between me and the wall, and as I looked around, I couldn't see Quinn anymore. Damn! I could see the door Wybert and his brother had been guarding. The door was across the room, but it was the only empty passage. Any way out of this room was a good way. I began sidling around the walls to reach it, so I wouldn't have to cross the dangerous open spaces. I had maybe a yard to go when someone grabbed my foot, and once again, down I went.

"Bitch," said Jade Flower. "Whore." I didn't think I'd ever heard her talk before. I could have done without it now. She began dragging me, hand over hand, toward her extended fangs. She wasn't getting up to kill me, because one of her legs was missing. I almost threw up but became more concerned with getting away than with ralphing. My hands scrabbled at the smooth wood floor, and my knees tried to get purchase so I could pull away from the vampire. I didn't know if Jade Flower would die of this terrible wound or not.

With my free foot, I kicked the little Asian woman in the face. She howled when the heel of my shoe actually ripped her eye out of its socket. I hoped that the pain would cause her to let go of my ankle, but, she only began to pull harder.

Then Bill jumped on her back, landing with enough force to break her spine, and her hold on my ankle relaxed. I scrambled away while he raised a carving knife very like the one the queen had had. He sank it into Jade Flower's neck, over and over, and then her head was off and he was looking at me.

He didn't speak, just gave me that long, dark look. Then he was up and gone, and I had to get the hell out of there. I kicked off my shoes and stood up.

I finally reached the door to the queen's apartments, and flung it open. Inside, it was pitch black, so, I focused on where everything was using the light coming through the door, before I shut it and walked where I remembered there being open space. I went through one room before I ended up in what must have been the queen's bedroom. A whisper of movements in the room retriggered my fear switch, and I fumbled along the wall for the light. When I flipped it, I found I was in the room Peter Threadgill. He was facing Andrew. A bed was between them, and on the bed was the queen, who had been badly wounded. Andre had still had his gun in one, and he raised it and shot the king right in the face. Twice. I began to sidle around the room to the door on the other side as I watched Andre lunge at the body of the king. It was then that I noticed he held a stake in his other hand.

I set off across the lawn, but I was limping due to Jade Flower's assault on my ankle. "Watch out for the lion," called the queen, and I looked behind me to see that Andre was carrying her out of the building. I wondered whose side the lion was on.

Then the big cat appeared right in front of me. One minute my escape route was clear, and the next it was filled by a lion. The outside security lights were off, and in the moonlight the beast looked so beautiful and so deadly that fear pulled the air right out of my lungs.

The lion made a low, guttural sound.

"Go away," I said. I had absolutely nothing to fight a lion with, and I was at the end of my rope. "Go away!" I yelled. "Get out of here!"

And it slunk into the bushes.

I don't think that is typical lion behavior. Maybe it smelled the tiger coming, because a second or two later, Quinn appeared. He rubbed his big head against me, and I took a moment to just admire him. Terrifying though it may be, Quinn sure made a beautiful tiger.

When we reached the outer wall, I stood on Quinn's back, and managed to pull myself up to the top. I looked down, and it seemed like a very long way to the sidewalk. I gathered up what was left of my courage, flipped over onto my stomach, let myself down as far as I could reach, and said out loud, "One, two three!" Then I fell. For a couple of minutes, I just lay there, stunned at how the evening had turned out.

Quinn bounded over with relative ease, and came over to licking my face.

"Do you think it would be better to walk back as a tiger, or as a large naked man?" I asked the tiger. "Because either way, you might attract some attention. I think you stand a better chance of getting shot if you're a tiger, myself."

"That will not be necessary," said a voice, and Andre loomed above me. "I am here with the queen in her car, and we will take you where you need to go."

Andre helped me to my feet as Quinn shifted back to his human form. After Andre opened the door to the backseat of the car, he reached in and grabbed out a pair of sweatpants and handed them to Quinn. I decided it wasn't really worth it to wonder about why the pants had been there in the first place.

"Where was it?" asked the queen, who was stretched across one of the seats. Her bleeding had stopped, and only the way she was holding her lips indicated what pain she was in.

"It was in the can of coffee that looked sealed," I said. "Hadley was real good with arts and crafts, and she'd opened the can real carefully, popped the bracelet inside, and resealed it with a glue gun."

"How'd you get it past the search?" the queen asked. "I'm sure the searchers were checking for it.

"I had the bracelet part on around my ankle, under my dress," I said. "The diamond stood out too far, though, so I had to prize it out. I put it in a tampon holder. The vampire who did the searching didn't think of pulling out the tampon, and she didn't really know how it was supposed to look, since she hadn't had a period in centuries. I went into the ladies room after my purse had been searched, and glued it back on using some superglue."

The queen didn't seem to know what to say, and after a long pause, simple said, "Thank you."

We stayed in silence the rest of the drive back to Hadley's apartment. Amelia was sitting on the pavement in her lawn chair when Andre dropped us off in the courtyard. She looked a little confused, and opened her mouth to say something. But, I just shook my head.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," I said. "The moving van will be here in the evening, and I just can't wait to get back home."

"So you got lots to do at home?" Amelia asked as Quinn and I began going up the stairs. Since Quinn was stranded here without a car, and no clothes other than the pants Andre had given him, I figured we could sleep in the same bed.

"Well, I have to get back to work," I answered her.

"Got an empty guest bedroom?"

I stopped about halfway up the stairs. "I might. Would you be needing one?"

"I tried something new with Bob," she said. "And it didn't exactly work out right."

"Where is he?" I asked. "In the hospital?"

"No, right here." She picked up a big black cat with a white chest that had been curled up in an empty planter. I hadn't even noticed him. "Isn't he cute?"

"Sure, bring him along," I said. "I've always been fond of cats."

I heard Quinn chuckle, and I couldn't help but do the same, remembering how less than an hour ago he'd been a cat, himself.

Later, after I'd showered and while Quinn was in the bathroom himself, I heard a tentative knock on the door. I was decent enough in my sleep pants and tank top. Though I wanted to ignore it more than anything, I opened the door.

Bill was looking pretty good for someone who'd fought in a war. The tuxedo would never be function again, but he wasn't bleeding, and whatever cuts he might have sustained had already healed over.

"I have to talk to you," he said, and his voice was so quiet and limp that I took a step out of the apartment. I sat down on the gallery floor, and he sat with me.

"You have to let me say this, just once," he said. "I loved you. I love."

I raised a hand to protest, and he said, "No, please let me finish. She sent me there, true. But when I met you – after I came to know you – I really… loved you."

"I risked my life for you," I said, the words coming out in a halting sequence. "My grandmother was murdered because I spent time with you. I killed someone for you. That is not something I take for granted, even if you do… even if that's everyday existence for you. It's not for me. I don't know if I can ever not hate you." I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes. "You probably saved my life tonight," I said, looking at him again. "And I thank you for that. But don't come into Merlotte's any more, don't hang around in my woods, and don't do anything else for me. I don't want to see you again."

Although he looked like he wanted to say more, he stood and left. Once he was truly gone, I stood, and turned back to the doorway to the apartment. I gasped when I saw that someone was standing there, but was relieved to see that it was just Eric.

He was still wearing his tux pants and shirt, but the jacket and tie were gone, and his shirt was no longer pristine. "You are unharmed?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Are you alright?"

"Yes," he said, but then his posture became rigid. "The tiger is staying with you tonight?"

It wasn't hard to hear the jealousy in his voice, but I was just too tired to deal with it. "Yes, Eric he is. He doesn't have a vehicle, or any clothes beyond a pair of pants. I wasn't about to turn him away after everything that happened tonight."

He nodded. I could tell he wasn't happy with the arrangement, but he wasn't going to argue with me about it either.

"I will not be able to return to Bon Temps with you, tomorrow. Obviously, there are matters here that I will need to attend to."

"Sure," I said through a yawn. "Hadley's landlord Amelia is actually going to come stay with me for a while, so, I can just ride up with her."

"I will call you when I am able to make it back to Shreveport," he said. He bent and kissed my cheek, before launching himself into the sky.

I dragged myself inside, shut the door behind me and locked it, and made myself go down the hall to the bedroom. Quinn was just coming out of the bathroom, looking much cleaner. "Can I share the bed?"

"Yes," I said, and crawled in. He got in the other side, and was sleep in thirty seconds. After a minute or two, I thought about sliding over and putting my head on his chest. But, I didn't, knowing I wanted someone with a much cooler body to be holding me instead.

**A/N And that brings us to the end of Definitely Dead. But, have no fear, we're not finished yet. We're totally going to Rhodes, soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N It took a little more time than I would've liked to get this posted. But, I wanted it to include everything up to the point where they left for the summit in Rhodes. Plus, real life kinda got in the way. **

The Shreveport vampire bar would be opening late tonight. I was running behind, and I'd automatically gone to the front door, the public door, only to be halted by a neatly lettered sign, red Gothic script on white cardboard: WE'LL BE READY TO GREET YOU WITH A BITE TONIGHT, AT EIGHT O'CLOCK. PLEASE EXCUSE OUR DELAYED OPENING. It was signed "The Staff of Fangtasia."

It was the third week in September, so the red neon FANGTASIA sign was already on. The sky was almost pitch-black. I stood with one foot inside my car for a minute, enjoying the mild evening and the faint, dry smell of vampire that lingered around the club. Then I drove around to the back and parked besides several other cars lined up at the employee entrance.

I was both very excited, and very nervous about attending this meeting. Nervous, because there would be a few people there that I had absolutely no desire to see. Andre, the queen's right-hand vamp, for one. But even worse was someone that I was determined to not acknowledge. I'd taken a page from the Were rule book and treated him like an outlawed member of my pack: I abjured him. I didn't speak his name, I didn't speak to him, I didn't recognize his existence. Of course, I'm speaking of my ex, Bill Compton.

I tried to focus my thoughts on why I was excited. First off, having this meeting meant that we would soon be leaving for the big summit in Rhodes. As nervous as I was for the summit itself, I was looking forward to getting out of my own little corner of the world, seeing someplace new. Plus, Sophie-Anne had promised to pay me a whopping amount of money to accompany her, and I couldn't wait to get the check. Maybe now I could finally get a larger water heater. I'd thought about getting one with the money Eric had paid me for housing him while he was cursed. But, I'd had to help Jason pay Dr. Ludwig for her services when Crystal miscarried, so, I couldn't afford it. Even if I don't like her all that much, Crystal's life and well-being **is** more important than me being able to take longer hot showers, though.

If I was being completely honest with myself though, the thing about this meeting that excited me the most was that I'd get to see Eric.

He'd returned to Shreveport a couple of days after I got back to Bon Temps, following our disastrous trip to New Orleans. Because he'd been gone for almost a week, he had to spend the first few nights at the bar, catching up on "area business." But, once he'd gotten all caught up, he called and asked if he could take me on a real, honest to God date.

I'll admit I was a little hesitant at first. I mean, what would we do on our date? It's not like he could enjoy a nice restaurant with me. And, I was pretty sure we didn't have the same taste in movies. But, then I remembered that I had told him I would give him a chance, so, I accepted his invitation.

I was amazed with what he'd come up with. Somehow, he'd arranged for the Shreveport Museum to remain open after closing one night, and we had the whole place to ourselves. Of course, I'd been to the museum before, back when I was in grade school. But, being there with Eric made it a completely different experience. First off, I didn't have to worry about trying to block out the thoughts of all of the other people around me. But, also, Eric brought a whole new perspective as well.

As we walked through the exhibits about the dinosaurs, and the world during prehistoric times, he told me about how modern methods of research had changed so much about what the current population knew about that time period. He talked about how people used to think that the t-rex was the most fearsome dinosaur. But, with the discovery of the raptor's existence, that all changed.

As we moved through the areas that were a little more modern, Eric would tell me what it was like to experience historical events from the perspective of the vampire. When we got to an exhibit showing some World War II submarines, he told me about how the few vampires who were in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped were killed, and that it was quite the uproar in the 'undead community.' He said that vampires in general avoided Japan for a little over a decade after the war ended. He said it was because they couldn't drink the blood of those who had been exposed to the radiation. Although it wouldn't kill the vamps, drinking from humans who'd been affected made the vamps awfully sick for about a year, depending on how much they'd consumed.

On our second date, he'd taken me to hear a guest speaker at LSU Shreveport. The speaker was an astronomist, and his lecture was all about the discovery of a new comet. Afterwards, we drove to an open field, where Eric already had a blanket and a telescope set up. He brought out a book full of star maps, and we spent several hours with him showing me constellations, while he told me the stories of how they'd received their names, and the legends surrounding them. It was absolutely amazing.

On a couple of other occasions, I'd gone to Fangtasia while he was working, and we just sat in his booth together, talking. At the end of each date, he'd give me a goodnight kiss, but, he never tried to push it any farther than that. Not that our conversations weren't filled with flirting and innuendo, though. For a while, it had actually begun to feel like I had MY Eric back.

But, then when Hurricane Katrina hit, everything changed. The Queen wasn't able to stay in New Orleans, so Eric and the other Sheriff's were suddenly in charge of finding a secure location for her amongst their residences. Also, each area was required to send three vamps to New Orleans to search the area for missing vamps in rotating shifts. Just like with the humans, the displaced vampires needed some place to stay, so, there were a lot of new vamps in the area. When Eric heard that quite a few of them had brought their 'pets' along with them, he had me come to Fangtasia a couple of times to read them, just to be sure they could all be trusted.

The last time I'd seen Eric had been when he stopped by Merlotte's one night to cancel plans we'd made, because he had to go to Baton Rouge to meet with the Queen. That was four weeks ago. Although I haven't seen him, he's never gone longer than three days without at least calling me, but, it's just not the same.

During the time when Eric was working so much, I'd seen Quinn a few times as well. Because of the nature of his business, our visits were never really long, and unfortunately, we never really had a lot of notice on when he would be in town. But, I still enjoyed what time we had together. He took me to the zoo one afternoon, and it was the first time I'd been there since I'd learned of the existence of the two-natured. That most definitely put a new perspective on things. There was one panther there, and it was really odd to look at it, and realize that everyone in Hot Shot looked like that at the full moon. I even found myself comparing the wolves at the zoo, to the Weres that I knew. For the most part, there really wasn't a difference; well, other than the eyes of the REAL wolves didn't look nearly as calculating and aware as the Weres I know.

But, probably the most interesting thing about the zoo was seeing the tigers. After we'd been standing in front of their fenced-in enclosure for about 30 seconds, you could tell that they caught a whiff of a familiar scent coming off of Quinn. For a while, they'd looked a little confused, like they couldn't understand why a human would smell so much like one of their own kind. I'll admit that it made me feel a little smug when I saw other zoo patrons craning to get a better look at them. I felt like bragging and yelling to everyone that I'd gotten to see a Bengal tiger much closer than they ever would.

The last time I'd seen Quinn was a week ago. He'd been passing through, and stopped at Merlotte's. We'd been pretty slow that evening, so, I was able to sit at a booth and chat with him for a while. It was while I was with Quinn that night that Eric had called me to let me know about the meeting.

With Quinn's hearing, I knew he was able to hear everything that Eric was saying to me. When Eric was simply talking to me about the meeting, Quinn seemed a little annoyed that we'd been interrupted, but, wasn't too upset. However, once Eric had gotten the business portion of the conversation out of the way, he'd asked me if I had gotten the beautiful bouquet of flowers he'd sent me the previous day. The moment the conversation turned personal, Quinn began to get angry. I knew Gran would probably roll over in her grave if I didn't thank Eric for the flowers, so, I did, and then told him I'd have to call him back another time. I apologized to Quinn for the interruption, and he said it wasn't a problem, but, he remained tense for the rest of our visit.

When I'd gotten home from work that night, I told Amelia all about what had happened. She reminded me that supes are awfully possessive and don't like to share. I knew that it wasn't very fair of me to continue seeing them both, and that sooner or later I'd need to make a choice. But, it wasn't going to be an easy decision to make.

They both have qualities I admire, and I do truly enjoy spending time with each of them. I'm definitely physically attracted to both of them, so I knew that wouldn't be an issue. Quinn was frequently out of the area due to his job, and Eric was local. But, with Eric came a whole package of vampire politics that I wasn't sure I wanted to be part of. Eric would only ever be able to share his nights with me, a limitation I wouldn't need to worry about with Quinn. It also occurred to me that, with Eric, I'd never be able to have a baby, but I could with Quinn. But, I pretty quickly dismissed that thought from my mind. There were no guarantees that I would for sure be able to have a baby with Quinn, since the birthrate amongst the two-natured was pretty small. Besides, with all the danger I find myself surrounded by on a regular basis, it just wouldn't be safe for a child.

The sounds of nearby traffic brought me back to reality, and I hustled over to the staff door and knocked. No one answered, so, after a moment, I raised my hand to knock again when Pam, Eric's second-in-command opened the door.

"Come in, my telepathic friend," Pam said, gesturing dramatically. I smiled as I followed her down the hallway towards Eric's office. "How is that delicious brother of yours, Sookie?" Pam asked.

"My delicious brother is making noises about getting married," I grumbled.

"You don't sound as if that would be a joyous occasion."

I sighed. "I just think that he could do a lot better than Crystal Norris."

"Yes, well, no matter how hard it may be, you need to let the ones you love make their own choices, or else they'll never learn from their mistakes."

I stopped and stood still for a moment, a little amazed at what I'd just heard. "You've been reading 'Dear Abby' again, haven't you Pam?" I finally said.

Pam smiled a little and nodded. By this time, we'd reached Eric's office. She knocked on the door and then opened it, and I followed her inside. Eric was sitting at his desk, and when we entered, he lifted his golden head from the papers on his desk. He didn't smile at me, but the color of his eyes grew a little warmer. I couldn't help but feel a hush of pleasure at the sight of him.

I tore my gaze away from Eric to look around the room. There were lots of vampires crammed into the smallish space, but till you saw them you didn't know they were there, they were so still and silent. All of the seats were occupied, so I made a move to stand against the wall next to Eric's desk. But, when he saw what I was doing, Andre stood and gestured for me to take his chair. This surprised me, but, I didn't want to hold up the meeting longer than I already had, so I mumbled a quick 'thank you' while I sat down.

"Well," Eric said once I was seated, "Now that we are all here, we can begin." I felt a little sheepish that I'd been late, but I just tried to brush the feeling off. Pam folded to the floor beside my chair, crouched on the balls of her feet, as Eric motioned for Andre to begin.

"Your queen is living in the Area Four sheriff's house in Baton Rouge," Andre said as he scanned the assemblage. "However, this can only be a temporary solution. We've been down to New Orleans several times since the disaster. None of the damage should be terribly hard to repair, however, finding a contractor who can begin work immediately has proven difficult. So, if any of you have personal influence with some human who does this kind of work, I need your help."

I remembered Amelia mentioning something about her father being in the construction business, and I made a mental note to talk to her about it when I got home. I'd learned the hard way that you should always do anything possible to stay on a vampire's good side, and helping Sophie-Anne get her home rebuilt seemed like a good way to do just that.

Andre went on to describe the damage to the old monastery that the queen owned, and also mentioned that it looked like 30 vampires had been killed in the disaster. Eric said that he would post a list of those who were missing after the meeting. I hadn't met many of the New Orleans vamps when I'd been there, and I'd already asked Eric about them. Thankfully, he'd informed me that both Rasul and Bubba survived, although Bubba was a little worse for the wear.

Thinking of Amelia and the weather both at once suddenly gave me an idea. I waved my hand to get Andre's attention so I could ask a question.

"Yes, Sookie?" he asked. His empty gaze fixed me in place, and I was sorry I'd asked to speak.

"You know what I wonder, y'all? I wonder if one of the kings of queens attending this summit has a – like a weather predictor, or something like that on staff."

Plenty of blank stares were aimed my way, though Andre, Pam and Eric all seemed interested.

"Because, look, the summit, or conference, or whatever, was supposed to take place in late spring originally. But – delay, delay, delay, right? And then Katrina hit. If the summit had started when it was supposed to, the queen could have gone in a powerful position. She would have had a big war chest and a full quiver of vamps, and maybe they wouldn't have been so anxious to prosecute her for the king's death."

"That's one of the things you'll need to look for at the summit," Andre said. "Now that you've given me the idea, it seems oddly possible. Eric?"

"Yes, I think there is something in that," Eric said. "Sookie is good at thinking outside the box."

Pam smiled up at me from beside my elbow.

"What about the suit filed by Jennifer Cater?" Clancy, one of the other vamps asked.

"It's still active," Andre said.

I wasn't sure who this Jennifer chick was, so, while Andre continued, Pam leaned over and whispered to me who she was, and what lawsuit she was filing against the queen.

I turned my attention back to Andre when I felt his hand grip my shoulder. "The queen wants this woman close to her in meetings, since other humans will be there," he said. He was speaking strictly to Eric. The rest of us might as well not have been in the room. "She wants to know their thoughts. Stan is bringing his telepath. Do you know the man?"

"I'm sitting right here," I muttered, not that anyone paid any attention but Pam, who gave me a sunny smile. Then, with all those cold eyes fixed on me, I realized that they were waiting for me to answer, that Andre had been addressing me directly.

"I've only met one other telepath in my life, and he was living in Dallas, so I'm supposing it's the same guy – Barry the Bellboy. He was working at the vamp hotel in Dallas when I picked up on his, ah, gift."

"What do you know about him?"

"He's younger than me, and he's weaker than me – or at least he was at the time. He never accepted what he was, the way that I had."

"Sookie will be there," Eric told Andre. "She is the best at what she does."

That was flattering, though I faintly recalled Eric saying he'd encountered only one telepath previously. I was glad to see that his comment drew Andre's attention away from me.

Eric went on to list all those that would be going to Rhodes with us, and I was more than slightly disappointed that Bill would be going along. But, I could understand why the queen would want him along. If he could market his database well, the queen could recoup a fair amount of her losses.

"So, the only ones attending the summit are Andre, our queen, Sookie, myself, Bill, and Pam," Eric said. "Cataliades the lawyer and his niece as his runner. Oh, yes, Gervaise from Area Four and his human woman, a concession since Gervaise has been hosting the queen so generously. Rasul, as driver. And Sigebert, of course. That's our party."

"I think that's all that we needed to talk about with all of you present," Andre said. He and Eric stayed in the office while everyone else left, and Pam asked me to go out to the main bar area with her. Once we'd walked down the hall, she produced a list of what clothes I would need to bring, and let me know that Eric had set up a credit for me at Tara's clothing store. When I started to argue with her about it, she told me that since I wouldn't need the clothes if it wasn't for the trip, they'd be covering the expenses. She also gave me a small itinerary that let me know the dates and times we'd be flying, and where to be and when.

I was in the parking lot just about to get into my car when I heard Eric call my name, and turned back around to face him. He and Andre were both leaving the building, and Eric came to speak with me while Andre went to his vehicle.

"Are you working tomorrow evening?" he asked when he reached me.

"No, I've got the day off. I'm going to a wedding shower during the day, but, I should be home before dark. Why, what's up?"

He smiled down at me as he said, "I was wondering if you might come here. There are a few items I'd like to speak to you about before the summit."

"That should be fine," I answered.

"Wonderful. Shall we say 10 o'clock?"

"Can we make it 9 instead? I work the lunch shift the day after, and I don't do well on that shift if I was out late the night before."

"Of course. 'Til tomorrow, then," he said, then bent down to place a soft, lingering kiss to my lips, before turning and walking back into the club. I got in my car and drove home, and couldn't help but raise my fingers to my lips a few times, smiling in remembrance.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really **do **like Halleigh Robinson, Andy Bellefleur's bride-to-be. But, I'll admit that I let out a sigh of gratitude the moment I was in my car after her bridal shower. She really is a sweet gal, and seems to genuinely love Andy, so, I'm happy for her. But, this was the second shower I'd been to for her, and I just didn't think I could take much more. Not that it was her fault, of course. The shower was given by a couple of women who teach at the same school as Halleigh, and one of them in particular has no problem asking bawdy questions that make others uncomfortable.

It also didn't help that one of the other guests was Selah Pumphrey, who had been dating that vampire I'd abjured. She'd been the real estate agent that sold Andy and Halleigh their little house, so, I assume that's why she'd been invited. I'd been given the task of recording who gave what gifts, so I was paying extra attention to the presents. It's a good thing I have practice hiding facial expressions, otherwise everyone would've seen how shocked I was when I wrote down that the pretty dish towels had come from Selah. They were very cute, and seemed a perfect fit for Halleigh's personality. It didn't seem at all like something Selah would pick out, and for a moment I thought I'd misjudged her. Then, I realized that Halleigh had probably registered for the towels, and went back to my bad opinion of Selah.

Pulling around the back of my house after the shower, I was surprised to see that Amelia's car was gone. When I'd spoken with her earlier in the day, she said she hadn't planned on going anywhere. As I walked into the kitchen, I found a note sitting on the table.

_Sookie-_

_Bob clawed a hole in my favorite top, and I really don't have anything else that looks good with my favorite jeans. I've gone to the mall in Monroe, I'll be back later._

_Amelia_

I smiled and rolled my eyes as I threw the note in the trash. As if Amelia really needed an excuse to go shopping.

I was at a bit of a loss with what to do with the rest of the afternoon. I didn't have anything that absolutely needed to be done, and there were still several hours before I was supposed to meet Eric at Fangtasia. So, I threw on a bikini, greased myself up, and took a book and the radio outside. We were at the very end of the summer, and I knew I was running out of days to tan before it got too cold, and I try to never miss an opportunity.

As I sat on my chaise lounge, soaking up the sun, I found myself a little too distracted to read. I couldn't focus on the plot, because my mind kept drifting back to the fact that I really needed to come to a decision about Eric and Quinn. I couldn't remember the last time I struggled this much with a decision. When I tried to figure out why this was so difficult for me, I realized it was because I knew that by choosing one of them, I'd be hurting the other. I'd come to care for both of them, and the thought of hurting one of them cut me deeper than I would've thought.

I guess I'd lost track of time, because before I knew it, Amelia's car was pulling in, and the sun was quite a bit lower in the sky that it had been when I'd first gone outside. I went inside with Amelia and pulled a pair of shorts and a tank top over my bikini while she took her shopping bags upstairs. She came back into the kitchen, and asked me a few questions about the shower while she poured herself something to drink. Our conversation was interrupted when the phone rang, and since I was closest to it, I answered. My brother's voice was almost electric with excitement.

"Sookie, you need to come out to Hotshot in about an hour."

"Why?"

"Me and Crystal and getting married. Surprise!"

I closed my eyes for a moment while I tried to suppress a sigh. "Is Crystal pregnant again?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yes!" Jason said, like that was the best news he could possibly impart.

Jason was ignoring reality, as he was increasingly willing to do. The reality was that Crystal had been pregnant at least twice before, and she'd lost both babies. The community at Hotshot was a victim of its own inbreeding. I definitely had sympathy for Crystal because of that, but I still wasn't happy that she was going to marry my brother.

"Okay, I'll be there," I said. "Can Amelia come, too?"

"Sure," Jason said. "Crystal and me'll be proud to have her.

"Is there anything I can bring?"

"No, Calvin and them are getting ready to cook. It's all going to be outside. We got lights strung up. I think they'll have a big pot of jambalaya, some dirty rice, and coleslaw, and me and my buddies are bringing the alcohol. Just come looking pretty! See you at Hotshot in an hour. Don't be late."

I hung up and sat there for a minute, my hand still clutching the cordless phone. That was just like Jason: come in an hour to a ceremony planned at the last minute for the worst possible reason, and don't be late! At least he hadn't asked me to bring a cake.

"Sook, you okay?" Amelia asked.

"Jason's getting married tonight," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "We're invited to the wedding, and we need to be there in an hour." She gave me quite the skeptical look. "Yeah, I know. It's crazy and dumb. But Crystal's pregnant again, and there's no stopping him. Do you want to come along with me? You don't have to. We'll have to get ready right now."

Without missing a beat, Amelia said "Oh, good, I can wear my new outfit," and sped upstairs to tear the tags off.

Even this late in September, it was still warm at night, but not oppressively so. Amelia was wearing a short-sleeved dress, beige with a tiny navy pattern. She loved to buy clothes and considered herself a snappy dresser, but her taste was strictly suburban young matron. She wore little navy sandals with flowers on the straps. I wore a sleeveless white dress with red flowers on it, and high-heeled red sandals out of sheer vanity. I'd put a little make-up on while I was waiting for Amelia, and as I took one final look in the mirror, I remembered that I'd worn this dress the very first time Bill had taken me to Fangtasia. I didn't want to think about Bill, so, instead I allowed myself to remember how the dress had affected Eric.

Eric! In my haste to get ready for the wedding, I'd completely forgotten that I was supposed to be driving to Shreveport to see him tonight. It was still a few minutes before sunset, so, I called and left a quick message for him on the club's answering machine. I knew that, just like me, he'd be disappointed that I'd had to cancel, but, I figured he'd understand considering the circumstances.

When we arrived in Hotshot, we parked along the street, and made our way to where a large group of people was already standing. Once we'd gotten to the group, I saw Jason, Crystal, and Calvin standing a little ways away.

Calvin Norris, Crystal's uncle and leader of the Hotshot community, was holding Crystal's arm. He smiled at me. Calvin had trimmed his beard and dug out a suit for the occasion. Jason was also wearing a suit, and he was smiling to beat the band. He looked great. Crystal was wearing a leopard-print dress cut as low in the front as you could get and still term the garment a dress.

Jason and Calvin spotted me, and Calvin smiled as Jason beckoned to me. I stepped forward, suddenly realizing that I was going to have a part in the ceremony. I hugged my brother, smelling his musky cologne…but no alcohol. I relaxed a fraction.

"What's the procedure?" I asked briskly.

Calvin went on to explain to me that I would be 'vouching' for Jason, and agreeing to take the penalty if he 'did wrong.' This made me pretty nervous, and I asked Calvin a few more questions about the entire situation. By the time Calvin had gone through it all, my thoughts that this was a bad idea had multiplied. But, this was Jason's choice, not mine. And, he seemed really happy about getting married, so, I swallowed my arguments and agreed.

I took my brother's arm, and Calvin again gripped Crystal's. The priest stepped into the center of the circle, and the ceremony began. Though I tried hard to look happy for Jason, I had a difficult time holding back my tears while my brother became the bridegroom of a wild and willful girl who had been dangerous from birth.

There was music and dancing after the ceremony, and I had a turn on the dance floor with Jason, his best friend Hoyt, their boss Catfish, and Calvin. I was actually a little surprised at how good the food was. Finally, around 2am, I knew I couldn't stand to be on my feet for a second longer. I told Jason, Crystal, and Calvin goodnight, and went to find Amelia. She was dancing with one of her many Hotshot beaux, and told me she'd get a ride home with someone later. I worried about her a little, but knew if anyone could take care of herself, it was Amelia.

By the time I got home, I was barely able to walk straight. I hadn't had much to drink, but decided I didn't want to risk a hangover the next day at work, so I filled a glass with some water so I could take a couple of aspirin when I got to my room. I noticed that the light on the answering machine was blinking, so I hit play while I took my shoes off.

I had two messages. The first had apparently been left while I'd been outside sunbathing earlier. Even with the radio on, I was surprised I hadn't heard it ring. The message was from Quinn, letting me know that he was going to be passing through the area, and that he wanted to see me. I got excited at the prospect, until I heard the next message, which came in around 1am. When he hadn't heard back from me, he decided to just keep driving, and was already out of the state, again. So, I'd missed out on an opportunity to see both Quinn, and Eric. I had to fight pretty hard not to feel resentful towards Crystal about that.

I was walking in my sleep. It was a good thing I knew every inch of Merlotte's like I knew my own house, or I'd have bumped into every table and chair. I yawned widely as I took Selah Pumphrey's order.

"Not getting enough rest, Sookie?" she asked, her voice sharp.

"Excuse me," I apologized, I really hadn't meant to be rude. "I was at my brother's wedding last night. What kind of dressing did you want on that salad?"

"Ranch." Selah's big dark eyes were examining me like she was thinking of etching my portrait.

"Okeydokey. Coming right up," I said, and turned to go.

"Listen," Selah said. "Let me be frank."

Oh, boy. In my experience, that meant, "Let me be openly mean." I was way too tired to deal with this.

"I'm here working, Selah. I'm not here to have any personal chitchats with you."

She ignored that. "I know you're going on a trip with Bill," she said. "You're trying to steal him back from me. How long have you been scheming about this?"

I know my mouth was hanging open, because I just hadn't gotten enough warning that was coming. My telepathy was affected when I was tired, and I was heavily shielded when I worked, as a matter of course. So I hadn't picked up on Selah's thoughts. A flash of rage passed through me, and my palm was itching to smack her.

Instead, I just glared at her and said, "Selah, if I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing Bill Compton again, I would be a very happy woman. I would be just tickled pink if he moved to Clarice to be closer to you. Instead, I have to deal with him bringing you **here** on the majority of your dates so he can try and make me jealous, which will never work. Instead of asking me if I'm scheming to get him back, you should ask Bill why he dropped everything to follow me down to New Orleans. I have no interest in him whatsoever, and I am in fact seeing someone else."

"Tramp," she muttered softly.

This time, I really **did** raise my hand to slap her. But, a warm, hard hand took mine, gripped it, brought it down to my side. Sam was there, and I hadn't even seen him coming.

"Miss Pumphrey, you'll have to get your lunch somewhere else," he said quietly. "I can't have you insulting my staff."

Selah's body was jerky with anger as she threw her napkin on the floor. She got to her feet, and stalked out of the door.

Merlotte's was pretty slow after that, so, Sam let me leave a bit early. When I got there, Amelia was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a homemade hangover tonic. She told me all about how she'd stayed the night with some guy in Hotshot, and how it was one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Right at that moment, Bob jumped into her lap, and I couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

I took a nap while she tried to get rid of her headache, and when I woke up, she suggested we go to my friend Tara's clothing store and get the clothes I'd need for my trip. I was a little reluctant, but agreed since I was leaving the day after tomorrow.

Tara and Amelia had gotten to know each other pretty well in the past few weeks, so, they were both chatting and having lots of fun helping me pick out what outfits to take with me. I was still a little tired, and upset about what Selah had said earlier, but, their enthusiasm was infectious. By the time I had everything I needed, I was really beginning to feel excited about going to the summit.

**A/N Next chapter, Rhodes, ready or not, here we come! Some of you may have noticed that Sookie's conversation with Pam, where she learns the story of when Eric turned her, didn't happen. Don't worry, that conversation (part of it, at least) will still take place, just at another time.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Sorry that this update took so long. Life happens. Once again, a large portion of this is taken directly from the book 'All Together Dead.' No copyright infringement is intended.**

It was midafternoon when we arrived in Rhodes, and I was very glad to have finished the flight from Shreveport. Don't get me wrong, the flight itself was okay. We hadn't hit any turbulence, and the pilots had done a great job with take-off and landing, so it hadn't been nearly as bumpy as my flight to Dallas had been. I was just grateful to get out of the cramped space of the airplane. The seats had been comfy enough, but, the company had been stifling. Johan Glassport, the Queen's trial attorney, was a horrible man, and I couldn't get away from him fast enough. Besides, even after all the time I'd spent around Vampires, and having lived next to a cemetery, there was still something eerie about being in a plane with all those coffins.

There was an Anubis truck waiting to load up the coffins and transport them to the Pyramid of Gizeh, the fancy schmancy hotel hosting the summit. Mr. Glassport, Mr. Cataliades, Diantha and I were all taken to the hotel in a limo. Every second of the drive, I was looking out the window, taking in the sights. Even though some of the chain store I saw were ones we also had in Shreveport, I had no doubt I was in a different place. When we approached the hotel, I saw the truck turn and go down an alley along the side of the building, and Mr. Catalaides explained to me that they were taking the coffins to the loading dock to take them inside, and that we'd be dropped off in front.

I'd stayed in a vampire hotel before, so I expected the armed guards, and the lack of ground floor windows. The Pyramid of Gizeh was making more of an effort to look a bit like a human hotel than Dallas' Silent Shore had; though the walls held murals imitating Egyptian tomb art, the lobby was bright with artificial light and horrible perky.

While Mr. Cataliades checked us in, I stood to his side and turned to look around at the other people. They were all dressed very nicely, and they were all talking. About us. I felt instantly anxious at the looks we were getting from the others, and the buzzing thoughts from the few live guests and staff reinforced my anxiety. We were the human entourage of the queen who had been one of the most powerful vampire rulers in America. Now she was not only weakened economically, but she was going on trial for murdering her husband. I could see why the other flunkies were interested—I would've found us interesting—but I was uncomfortable. All I could think about was how shiny my nose must be, and how much I wanted to have a few moments alone.

The clerk went over our reservations very slowly and deliberately, as if to keep us on exhibit in the lobby for as long as possible. I'd been standing at a discreet distance during the process, but when I could tell the clerk was just fucking us over to entertain himself, I took a step closer. I laid a hand on Mr. C's sleeve to indicate that I wanted to join in the conversation. He interrupted himself to turn an interested face toward me.

"You give us our keys and tell us where our vamps are, or I'll tell your boss that you're the one selling Pyramid of Gizeh items on eBay. And if you bribe a maid to even _touch _the queen's panties, much less steal 'em, I'll sic Diantha on you." Diantha had just returned from tracking down a bottle of water. She obligingly revealed her sharp pointed teeth in a lethal smile.

The clerk turned white and then red in an interesting display of blood flow patterns. "Yes, ma'am," he stammered, and I wondered if he would wet himself. After my little rummage through his head, I didn't much care.

In very short order, we all had keys, we had a list of "our" vampires' resting places, and the bellman was bringing our luggage in one of those neat carts. Mr. Cataliades had discovered that the non-vamps in the party had each been put in a room with another person. He hadn't been pleased that he himself was sharing a room with Diantha, but the hotel was extremely crowded, the clerk had said.

I was sharing a room with Gervaise's squeeze, and as I slid the card into the slot on the door, I wondered if she'd be in. She was. I'd been expecting a woman like the fangbangers who hang around at Fangtasia, but Carla Danvers was another kind of creature entirely. She was very pretty in a prom queen kind of way, and had a very outgoing personality. We took some time with small talk, trying to get to know each other, while I unpacked my suitcase, and hung my garment bag in the closet.

For tonight, I chose to change into a chocolate brown lace handkerchief dress. I put in my big gold earrings and slid into brown pumps, and put on some lipstick, and brushed my hair really well. Sticking my keycard into my little evening purse, I headed to the front desk to find out which suite was the queen's, since Mr. Cataliades had told me to present myself there.

The desk clerk blanched when he saw me coming, and he looked around to see if Diantha was with me. He looked relieved when I simply asked him for the queen's room number, but his hand still shook while he wrote it down on a piece of notepaper.

I nodded at another human woman as I crossed the lobby to the central bank of elevators. The rooms got ritzier the higher up you went, I gathered, since there were fewer on the floor. The queen had one of the fourth floor suites, since she booked for this event a long time ago. There were only eight doors on her floor, and I didn't have to see the number to know which room was Sophie-Anne's. Sigebert was standing guard in front of it.

When I reached him, he grinned at me, which was a terrifying sight. "Miss Sookie," he said by way of greeting.

"Sigebert," I said. "Are you doing okay?" I wanted to convey sympathy without dipping into too-sentimental waters.

"My brother, he died a hero," Sigebert said proudly. "In battle."

I wasn't sure what to say, so, I simply laid my hand on my forearm for a moment and nodded. After a moment, his look got a little absent, as if he were listening to an announcement.

I'd suspected that the queen could talk to her "children" telepathically, and when Sigebert opened the door for me without another word, I knew that was true. I was glad she couldn't talk to me.

The queen's suite was lavish. I'd never seen anything like it. The carpet was as thick as a sheep's pelt, and it was off-white. The furniture was upholstered in shades of gold and dark blue. The slanting glass that enclosed the outside wall was opaque.

In the midst of this splendor, Sophie-Anne sat curled on a couch. Small and extremely pale, with her shining brown hair swept up in a chignon, the queen was wearing a raspberry-colored silk suit with black piping and black alligator heels. Her jewelry was heavy, gold, and simple. Andre was standing right behind her, as always. When he'd given me a thorough look, and the door had closed behind me, he actually sat beside Sophie-Anne, which was some kind of signal that I was a member of the club, I guess. Sophie-Anne gestured towards a chair, and I smiled politely as I sat.

"How are your accommodations?" Sophie-Anne asked.

"Fine. I'm rooming with a… girlfriend of Gervaise's," I said.

"With _Carla_? Why?" Her brown rose up like dark birds in a clear sky.

"The hotel's crowded. It's no big thing. I figure she'll be with Gervaise most of the time, anyway," I said.

"Did Cataliades tell you what to expect?"

"Yes ma'am, he did."

"Good. As well as your testimony at the trial, I need you to attend every meeting with me that includes humans."

This was why she was paying me the big bucks.

"Ah, do you have any schedule of meetings?" I asked. "It's just, I'd be ready and waiting if I had any idea when you needed me."

Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. Andre rose and moved to answer it so smoothly and fluidly that you would have sworn he was part cat, which made me think of Quinn for a fleeting moment. The door opened just a bit as Andre reached it, and although I couldn't hear what was being said, I could hear the rumble of Sigebert's voice.

After they'd exchanged a few sentences, the door opened wider, and Andre said, "The King of Texas, my lady." There was only a hint of pleased surprise in his voice, but it was the equivalent of Andre doing cartwheels.

Stan Davis came in, followed by two vamps that I remembered meeting when I was in Dallas. Joseph Velasquez, a short, burly Hispanic with spiky hair, who never seemed to crack a smile. But even his personality could be considered when compared to the female following him, Rachel. She was a savage one, who really didn't like cooperating with humans. Trailing the two was Barry the Bellboy, looking good in designer jeans and a taupe silk T-shirt, discreet gold chain around his neck. He had matured in an almost scary way since I'd last seen him.

We smiled at each other, and Barry said, '_Good to see you. Looking pretty, Sookie._'

'_Thanks, and likewise, Barry."_

Stan greeted Andre and Sophie-Anne, and then introduced his three companions. Sophie-Anne was saying how pleased she was that he was visiting when the phone rang. Since I was closest to it, I answered it.

"Am I speaking to a member of the Queen of Louisiana's party?" the gruff voice asked.

"Yes, you are."

"One of you needs to come down to the loading bay to get a suitcase that belongs to your party. We can't read the label."

"Oh…okay."

"Sooner the better."

"All right."

He hung up. Okay, that was a little abrupt.

Since the queen was waiting for me to tell her who had called, I relayed the request, and she looked equally puzzled for all of a millisecond. "Later," she said dismissively.

I felt the tickle of Barry in my mind. '_She good to work for?'_ he asked.

'_I just help her out from time to time,'_ I said. '_I still have a day job.'_

Barry looked at me with surprise. '_You kidding? You could be raking it in, if you go to a good state like Ohio or Illinois where there's real money._'

I shrugged. '_I like where I live,'_ I said.

Then we both became aware that our vampire employers were watching our silent exchange. Our faces were changing expression, I guess, like faces do during a conversation.

"Excuse me," I said. "I didn't mean to be rude."

Sophie-Anne looked almost amused for a moment, before she finally nodded.

"Do you really need Barry and me here, since we're the only humans, and it might not be so productive if we just sat around and read each other's minds?" I asked. Joseph Velasquez actually smiled before he could stop himself.

After a silent moment, Sophie-Anne nodded, and then Stan did the same. As Barry and I stood to leave, Andre handed me a small plastic pager, and told me it would vibrate when I was needed again.

Barry and I took the elevator down to the lobby, where we found a secluded corner where no one could sneak up on us to eavesdrop.

Since neither of us had conversed with someone entirely in our heads, we played around with that for a while. We soon discovered that if we held hands, everything around us came in much louder and more clear. We went to various points in the lobby to test this theory. Though I was facing away from the reception desk, I clearly heard a woman inquiring about the arrival of the Louisiana vamps. I caught my own image in the brain of the clerk, who was feeling delighted at doing me a bad turn.

'_Here comes trouble,_' Barry warned me.

I swung around to see a vampire advancing on me with not a very pleasant expression on her face.

"Finally, one of the Louisiana party. Are the rest of you in hiding? Tell your bitch whore of a mistress that I'll nail her hide to the wall! She won't get away with murdering my king! I'll see her staked and exposed to the sun on the roof of this hotel!"

Of course, this had to be Jennifer Cater. A variety of snarky comebacks popped in my head, but rather than start a spat with a vampire, I just rolled my eyes and turned to walk away.

She grabbed my arm and said, "I'll drain you dry." We were attracting a certain amount of attention by then.

"Ooooo," I was, exasperated beyond wisdom. "I'm so scared. Wouldn't the court love to hear you say that? Correct me if I'm wrong, but, aren't vampires prevented by – oh, yes – the _law_ from threatening humans with death, or did I just read that wrong?"

"As if I give a snap of my fingers for human law," Jennifer Cater said, but the fire was dying down in her eyes as she realized that the whole lobby was listening to our exchange, including many humans and possibly some vampires who'd love to see her out of the way. "Sophie-Anne Leclerq will be tried by the laws of our people. She will be found guilty. I'll hold Arkansas, and I'll make it great."

"That'll be a first," I mumbled as she walked away.

Barry and I gave each other a shrug. Incident over. We joined hands again.

'_More trouble,_' Barry said sounding resigned.

I focused my brain where his was going. I heard a weretiger heading our way in a big, big hurry.

I dropped Barry's hand and turned, my whole face smiling. "Quinn!" I said, and after he took a moment to look at Barry skeptically, he bent over to give me a stiff hug. I could tell that he was tense, and I hoped that seeing Barry and I holding hands wasn't what caused the tension.

"Quinn, this is Barry," I said, trying to make things a little more comfortable. "He's the only other telepath I know. He works for Stan Davis, the King of Texas."

Quinn extended a hand to Barry, and he seemed to relax a bit as they shook hands.

"Good to meet you, Barry," Quinn rumbled.

"You're in charge of the ceremony arrangements?" Barry asked.

"Yep, that's me."

"I've heard of you," Barry said. "The great fighter. You've got quite a rep among the vamps, man. But, I thought I heard you were going to be relocating to Vegas?"

I cocked my head. Something I wasn't getting here. "Great fighter? Moving to Vegas?" I asked.

"I'll tell you about it later," Quinn said, and his mouth set in a hard line.

Barry looked from me to Quinn. His own face did some hardening, and I was surprised to see that much toughness in him. "He hasn't told you?" he asked, and then read the answer right from my head. "Hey, man, that's not right," he said to Quinn. "If she's going to be involved with you, she should know."

I didn't think it was possible, but Quinn's look got even harder. He almost snarled as he said, "I'll tell her about it soon."

"Soon?" I asked. Quinn's thoughts were full of turmoil and violence. "Like now?"

But at that moment, a woman strode across the lobby toward us. She was one of the most frightening women I'd ever seen, and I've seen some scary women. She was probably five foot eight, with inky black curls that hugged her head, and she was holding a helmet under her arm. She also carried a sword, a gun, and a small crossbow draped about her in appropriate holsters.

I could only gape.

"You are the one they call Quinn?" she asked. She had a heavy accent, one I couldn't place.

"I am," Quinn said.

"I'm Batanya. You are in charge of special events. Does that include security? I wish to discuss my client's special needs."

"I'm only in charge of the rituals and procedures, not security," he said.

"All right. Then whom do I talk to?"

"A guy named Todd Donati."

Quinn took a moment to show her where she could find this Todd Donati, and then it looked like she was going to leave.

"Excuse me," I said.

"Yes?" She looked down at me, but she didn't look hostile or snooty, just worried.

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse," I said. "Who do you work for, Miss Batanya?"

"The King of Kentucky," she said. "He has brought us here at great expense. So, it's a pity there's nothing I can do to keep him from being killed, as things stand now."

I was about to ask her what she meant by that, but we were interrupted by a young vampire who'd come to tell her that "The Master" required her presence. She said a quick goodbye, and then left.

"What galaxy did she come from?" Barry asked as we watched her walk away.

Quinn said, "Not galaxy. Dimension. She's a Britlingen." When Barry and I still look confused, Quinn went on. "She's a bodyguard, a super-bodyguard. Britlingens are the best. You have to be really rich to hire a witch who can bring one over, and the witch has to negotiate the terms with their guild. When the job's over, the watch has to send them back."

I found this all to be very interesting, but it didn't take much more than a quick glance at Quinn to realize he was trying to distract me from our previous conversation.

"Well, that's definitely something I'd like to hear more about in the future, but, for now, I need to talk to you."

"Babe, I gotta get back to work," he said, while shooting an unfriendly look at Barry. "The reason I came over to talk to you in the first place was to ask where I could find Eric?"

And, now I'm even **more** confused. "Um, I have no **idea** where he is. The last time I knew where he was, it was while he was in his coffin being taken off the plane and put in a van to come here."

"Ah, so he's finally lengthened the leash, huh?" he said with a wry smile. I didn't take too kindly to that, but, before I could say anything, he spoke again. "I really need to find him, though. I need him for a ceremony tonight. We'll talk later." He placed a quick kiss on my cheek, and walked away.

Barry and I looked at each other, and I knew that he was reading loud and clear how skeptical I was. But, neither of us commented on it, because at almost the same moment, our pagers both went off.

'_Back to work,_' he said, and we headed for the elevators.

Almost as soon as we reached the queen's suite, Stan and his party left, taking Barry with them. I told Sophie-Anne and Andre about my encounter with a Britlingen, and they spent a couple of minutes discussing what would've compelled the king of Kentucky to hire them. But, Sophie-Anne seemed to tire of the subject fairly quickly.

"Did you see Jennifer Cater?" she asked me.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What did she say?" asked Andre.

"She said she'd drink my blood, and she'd see you staked and exposed to the hotel roof."

"Stupid Jennifer," Sophie-Anne said. "What to do? I wonder if she would accept a messenger from me?"

Sophie-Anne had obviously made her decision about what to do, because she picked the phone up and called Jennifer's room. After a moment of verbal sparring, she told Jennifer that we would be down in a couple of minutes so they could speak. I wasn't looking forward to going along, but, I knew I didn't have much choice.

Once Sophie-Anne hung the phone up, I figured we'd leave right away. But, that wasn't at all the case. She took her time with a few things, and it was almost 15 minutes later when we finally left the suite. Sigebert was standing in the hallway by the stairwell door, and he fell in step with Andre as we took the elevator to Jennifer's suite. I was shocked by what we found when we arrived.

The door to the suite had swung open when Andre knocked, and the smell was unmistakable. Andre told **me** to go inside and check, but I flat out refused, so he sent Sigebert instead. When he emerged, he confirmed our suspicions. Jennifer Cater, and anyone else who had been in the room with her, was dead. Surprisingly, the door directly across the hall opened, and Batanya stepped out, saying something about smelling death. I told her that we'd come to speak with the vamps in the room, but they were all dead. She turned back towards the room she'd been in, and told someone named Clovache to call for security, and then she went back into the room and shut. I must've looked shocked, because Sophie-Anne leaned towards me, and told me not to mention the Britlingens to anyone.

Without any other further ado, the elevator doors opened and two men joined us. Well, one man and one vamp. The human introduced himself as Todd Donati, the hotel's head of security. He also introduced his boss, Christian Baruch, who was the hotel manager. Mr. Donati asked several questions, while Baruch just kept staring at Sophie-Anne in a sort of creepy way. The few times he actually spoke, it sounded as if he was trying to flirt with the queen.

While Mr. Donati was still questioning us, the door to the stairs was flung open, and a small male vampire came rocketing out. He tried to get into the suite, but was unsuccessful with both Sigebert and Baruch blocking the doorway. He made a few more unsuccessful attempts, before he finally gave up.

"Is it true?" he asked no one in particular.

"Jennifer Cater and her companions are dead," Baruch answered. A strange noise began to come from the man, and I could only describe it as howling. After an awkward moment, Baruch said, "Are you a member of her party?"

"Yes," the man said, and I actually felt a little sympathy over how grief-stricken he sounded.

Baruch opened his mouth to say something else, but Sophie-Anne cut him off. "Then now I am your queen. I offer you a place at my side."

The man stopped howling, and turned his gaze to her. "My name is Henrik Feith," he said. "And there are only five vampires left in Arkansas. I am the only one here in Rhodes, and I am only alive because I was down in the lobby."

"I can't think of anything more we can do here," Sophie-Anne said. "If you don't need us any longer, we'll go to the opening ceremony. Master Henrik, if you are up to it, come with us. If you're not up to it, which of course we would understand, Sigebert will take you up to my suite and you may remain there."

"I would like to go somewhere quiet," Henrik Feith said. He looked like a beaten puppy.

Sophie-Anne nodded to Sigebert, who didn't look happy about being dismissed. But, he obeyed her, and left with Henrik.

Andre made his way to the elevator and hit the call button, and when Sophie-Anne and I moved to join him, I was surprised to find Mr. Cataliades standing behind me. I hadn't heard him arrive. The four of us got onto the elevator, and Mr. Cataliades spoke the moment the doors shut.

"My queen, you must marry again immediately."

Sophie-Anne and Andre's reaction wasn't quite what I expected; their eyes widened for all of a second.

"Marry anyone: Kentucky, Florida, I would add even Mississippi, if he were not negotiating with Indiana. But you need an alliance, someone lethal to back you up."

Andre reached out and punched the button to stop the elevator between floors, and the three of them began discussing their options. I was tired of being in the elevator, and also of being regarded as part of the scenery. "May I ask a question?"

After a moment of silence, Sophie-Anne nodded.

"How come you get to keep your children with you, and you've gone to bed with them? Isn't the sire and child relationship supposed to be short-term?"

"That closeness is my gift, my talent. Every vampire has a gift. I can keep my children with me. We can talk to each other, as you and Barry can. We can love each other physically."

"If that's so, why don't you just name Andre the King of Arkansas, and marry him?"

After a moment or two of stunned silence, Sophie-Anne smiled, and softly said, "Yes, why don't I do that?"

Andre reached up to press the button again, and he smiled at Sophie-Anne as the elevator once again began moving.

When we exited the elevator at the lobby, I sharpened up and began scanning all the individuals who had circulating blood and beating hearts. For the most part, it was hotel employees going about their business. But, I did happen to catch a trailing thought that had Quinn's name embedded, so I followed that trail until I found it led to an employee of E(E)E. I knew this because she was wearing the company T-shirt. She was a younger gal with a very short haircut and very long legs. She was talking to one of the servers, and it was definitely a one-sided conversation. When she finished, she swung around abruptly and came face-to-face with me. She didn't say anything, but, she really didn't need to. I was listening to her thoughts, and she was an **extremely** loud broadcaster.

'_Stupid, nasty fangbangers, always just getting in the way. She's got long blonde hair, though, I wonder if this is the chick Quinn's talked about._'

She rolled her eyes and walked away when another one of the servers asked her a question. I made a mental note to find out exactly who she was.

As I began to wander through the crowd again, I looked at the different booths in the convention hall. There were various things being sold: music CDs, coffins, and whatnot. Bill was standing behind a table selling her database, and he seemed to have quite a few customers. Pam was there as well, and she looked up and winked at me as she popped a CD case into a little bag.

By the time I caught back up with Sophie-Anne and Andre, they were with the sheriffs Gervaise and Cleo Babbitt.

"Where is Eric?" Andre asked them.

Cleo laughed, and her voice was deep and husky. "He got conscripted," she said. "The priest didn't show up, and Eric's taken a course, so, he's been asked to officiate a wedding."

Andre smiled. "That'll be something to watch."

Well, I guess that explained why Quinn had been looking for Eric earlier. I wondered what church would have Eric as a priest. I drifted over to Bill's booth and attracted Pam's attention.

"Eric's a priest?" I murmured.

"Church of the Loving Spirit," she told me. "He got his certificate from the online course, with Bobby Burnham's help. He can perform marriage services."

There was a ripple in the currents of the display hall, and I turned to see what was happening. The King of Mississippi and the King of Indiana had come in together hand in hand, which seemed to be a public signal that they'd concluded their marriage negotiations. Since I hadn't seen Russell Edgington since the night I'd rescued Bill from his mansion and killed the vampire Lorena (and then pushed her flaking body into the pool), I was nervous, and tried to avoid his gaze. But, he spotted me.

"Bart, you have to meet this young woman," he said immediately. I about had a panic attack, but there was no way out of the situation. "This young woman was staked while she was in Jackson. Some of those Fellowship thugs were in a bar, and one of them stabbed her."

Bart looked almost startled. "You survived, obviously," he said. "But how?"

"Mr. Edgington here got me some help," I said. "In fact, he saved my life."

Russell tried to look modest, and he almost succeeded. The vampire was trying to look good in front of his intended, such a human reaction that I could scarcely believe it.

Quinn appeared at my side just then and put his arm around me, and Russell's eyes widened. "Gentlemen," Quinn said to Indiana and Mississippi, "I believe we have your wedding ready and waiting."

They both nodded at Quinn, who went to the dais at one end of the exhibit hall. There was a microphone up there, and in a booming voice, he announced that the wedding ceremony would be taking place in ten minutes, and pointed in the direction of what he called 'The Ritual Room.' He was wearing full trousers that were gathered at the waist and ankle. He had cinched the trousers with a wide belt, and was wearing black leather boots with the trouser legs tucked in. He wasn't wearing a shirt. From where I was standing, the lighting illuminated several scars over his chest and abdomen. I thought he looked like a genie who'd just popped out of a really big bottle. It was definitely an interesting look.

"This is your new man?" Russell asked me. "Quinn?"

I smiled a little and shook my head. "Oh, I wouldn't say he's 'my man.' We've been spending time together, trying to get to know each other better."

"Interesting." He said, and gave me a skeptical look. I wondered what exactly he was alluding to, but, knew that now wasn't the best time to try and figure it out.

The doors to The Ritual Room had been opened, and everyone was busy streaming through them, so, I made my way to follow the crowd. Jake Purifoy came along and began walking with me. "Hi Sookie," he said, sounding forlorn and hopeful. It always made me a little nervous when I saw him, remembering that when he'd been turned, he'd tried to make ME his first meal. But, I couldn't help but feel bad for him as well. Being a combo vamp-Were had ruined his chances with either crowd.

"Have you had a chance to talk to Quinn yet?" I asked for lack of anything better to say. Jake had been Quinn's employee before his change had effectively put him out of a job.

"I said hello in passing," he said. "It's just not fair."

"What?"

"That he should be accepted no matter what he's done, and I should be ostracized."

"No matter what he's done? What would that mean?"

"Well, of course you know about Quinn," Jake said.

Just when I was about to wring his neck, we reached the double doors to the room. Quinn's bouncy-boobed assistant was standing just inside the doors, passing out little net bags of potpourri. Some were tied with blue and gold ribbon, some with blue and red.

"Why the different colors?" a human woman asked.

"Red and blue from the Mississippi flag, blue and gold from the Indiana," the woman said with an automatic smile. She still had it pasted on her face when she handed me a red-and-blue tied bag, though it faded in an almost comical way when she realized who I was.

Jake and I worked our way to a good spot a bit to the right of center. "Answer me," I hissed. "About Quinn."

"After the wedding," he said, trying not to smile.

I turned to the platform, only eighteen inches high, which Mississippi and Indiana had just mounted. They'd put on elaborate costumes. Russell was wearing a sort of heavy brocade, open-fronted robe that fit over his regular clothes. It was a splendid garment. Bart was wearing a similar robe, but in a different color.

A giant ankh was the prop at center stage. Off to one side, there was a table with two thick sheaves of paper, and two plumed pens. A female vampire was standing behind the table, and Mr. Cataliades was next to her. On the opposite side of the stage from the table, Quinn appeared. He made a great gesture to stage right, and a figure came up the steps and onto the platform. He was wearing a cloak of black velvet, and it was hooded. The figure took its position between Mississippi and Indiana, its back to the ankh, and raised its arms. The hood fell back, revealing that the cloaked figure was Eric. His wheat-colored hair looked beautiful against the black of the cloak. I couldn't help the butterflies that filled my stomach as his solemn gaze went over the crowd, pausing for a moment to linger on me.

Eric began to speak, and before long, the two vampire kings had done the vamp equivalent of exchanging vows. Bart and Russell joined hands, and Quinn stepped forward and knelt, holding a goblet under the joined hands. Eric took a knife out and cut the two wrists, allowing blood to drip into the chalice. When the wounds closed, Russell took a sip, then handed it to Bart, who drained it dry. Then, the kings kissed, which seemed to be the end of the ceremony.

Jake made a move to try and slip away, but I grabbed his forearm, and said, "Spill."

"I can't believe he hasn't told you this himself," Jake said.

I glared at him to let him know I was _waiting_.

"Quinn is like a rock star in the shifter world, you know. He's one of the last weretigers, and he's one of the most ferocious. His dad died when Quinn was little, so he was raised mostly by his mom. One full moon, she was in the woods in Colorado, and got caught in some sort of trap. There were a bunch of hunters in the area who were trying to trap a bear for their illegal dog fights." Jake paused a moment when I closed my eyes in disgust. "Quinn was about fifteen when this happened. He changed the same night, as soon as she found she was missing. He tracked them to their camp. His mom had turned back to her human form because of the stress, and one of them was raping her. Quinn killed them all. The campsite had to be cleaned up. Quinn didn't know what to do, so, he went to the local vampire nest, and they made a deal with him. They agreed to do the job, if he'd be indebted to them for three years. He agreed."

"What exactly did he agree to do?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"To fight in the pits for them. For three years or until he died, whichever came first. There's a lot of bets placed on pit fighting. Apparently vamps, and some other supes, enjoy watching shifters kill each other while in their animal forms." I felt almost nauseated. "Obviously Quinn survived his three years. He's one of the few who've lived that long. He kept winning and winning."

"Why did he stop?" I asked. I regretted more than I could say that I had been curious about Quinn.

"His three years ended, and he had to take care of his sister Frannie."

"Sister?"

"Yeah, his mom got pregnant that night, and the result was the dyed blonde who gave us the potpourri bags at the door."

I'd had as much as I could stomach. I turned and in one quick movement walked away from Jake. I was anxious to get out of the crowd, but was stopped when I felt a cold hand grip tight on my shoulder.

"There you are!" Andre said, almost sounding cross. "The queen needs you."

I knew I couldn't make an excuse and leave, because after all, this was what I was here for. I followed Andre to where the queen was speaking with a couple of other vamps, their human companions standing just off to the side. I listened in on their thoughts, only to find out that practically everything the vamps were telling Sophie-Anne was bologna. I shook my head a little at Andre and said, "Later." He nodded.

Next to begin speaking to Sophie-Anne was the King of Kentucky, the man who was guarded by Britlingens. I was surprised to see him without them, though. But, since I didn't have another human to distract me, I noticed that there was a patch of open space just behind Kentucky. When I concentrated, I could sense that the Britlingens were on duty after all. I smiled at them, which was really dumb of me, because Kentucky picked up on it.

"Sophie-Anne, I want to have a chat with you, but you gotta get that little blond gal out of here for the duration. She pure-dee gives me the willies," he said with a broad grin.

Sophie-Anne instructed me to go to the lower level and fetch the suitcase the staff had called about earlier. I was glad to get out of the crowd, so I began to walk away. As I left, I heard Andre say something about giving me the schedule for the rest of the evening, and before I knew it, he was beside me, his hand gripping my elbow. "Let's talk," he said, and guided me to the exit.

As soon as the door between the room and the hallway closed, Andre was holding his wrist in front of me, and it was dripping blood. "Drink," he said, and I felt him pushing at my mind.

"Why?" I said, trying to back away.

"You have to have a stronger connection to Sophie-Anne or me. This summit is critical to our survival, and we need every advantage we can get."

I pushed at him, but it was like shoving an elephant. His wrist came closer to my mouth, and I clamped my lips together, though I was sure Andre would break my teeth if he had to.

Suddenly there was a third presence in the stark beige corridor. Eric, still wearing the black velvet cape, was standing right by us, his face uncharacteristically uncertain.

"Andre," he said, his voice sounding deeper than usual. "Why are you doing this?"

"Are you questioning the will of your queen?"

After a moment of charged silence, Eric said, in a much calmer voice, "Andre, let me offer a suggestion. She must be kept happy, or she won't cooperate anymore."

Oh crap, that didn't bode well.

"We've exchanged blood several times, Sookie and I," Eric said. "In fact, we've been lovers. I think she wouldn't be so balky if I were the blood giver."

Andre simply watched Eric for a moment, before he finally said, "If the end result will be the same, why not? Go on, then."

"Right here? I'd prefer somewhere more private" Eric said.

"Here and now," Andre was not going to compromise any further.

Eric stepped closer until he was all but pressed against me. He bent over, and put his mouth in the bend of my neck and shoulder. My arms slid around him, because that was simply the easiest way to stand. He hesitated for the slightest moment, and rearranged the cloak around us to give at least the semblance of privacy. Then, he bit, and I couldn't choke back a gasp of pain. He didn't stop though, thank God, because I wanted this to be over.

After a long few seconds, he licked my neck to be sure the wound healed. He started to hold his wrist up to my mouth, but that was a little too awkward. Instead, I unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it open. I hesitated for a moment, because I'd always hated actually biting into flesh. Eric did something that surprised me then; he produced the small knife he'd used in the ceremony, and sliced a cut in his chest, just below his nipple. I took advantage of the sluggish flow, and latched on.

Eric moved restlessly, and I realized he was getting aroused. I felt him move his hand around my back and squeeze my butt. I stifled a laugh when I lifted my mouth from his chest, and stepped back from him and rebuttoned his shirt.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to reclaim my composure. When I finally opened them again, Eric was leaning against the wall. He'd allowed the cloak to fall open, and the stain on his pants was clearly visible. Andre was smiling at us in a very devious, calculating way.

"Andre," I said, "I'll finish the job I undertook to do here, because I shook on it. But I'll never work for you two again. Eric, thank you for making that as pleasant for me as you could. Now, if you'll just excuse me," and I walked away as quickly as I could.

I had no idea where I was, or how to get to the baggage area, so I asked the first service person I came across. The woman, holding a tray of glasses with synthetic blood, pointed towards a door marked 'Stairs to Basement.' I opened the door, and began taking the stairs, concentrating on my feet so I wouldn't focus on what had just happened.

Once I'd made my way to the basement, it took me almost fifteen minutes of sorting through suitcase after suitcase before I found one marked as belonging to someone from Louisiana. I took what appeared to be the service elevator to the lobby, and then the main elevator to the queen's floor. I figured I'd put the suitcase there, because whoever it belonged to was bound to come across it eventually.

When I knocked on the door to the queen's suite, Sigebert answered, and I brought the bag in and explained to him what it was, and why I was leaving it there. When I left the suite, however, it was to find Quinn standing in the hallway. He appeared to be waiting for me.

"You heard about me tonight, right?" he asked. I just nodded. "And?"

I hesitated for a moment before I began to speak again. "Quinn, I can't hold your pit fighting against you, because that wasn't your fault. You did what you had to do in order to save your mom. I understand that. I just wish you would've told me about yourself."

"I would've, when you were ready to hear it."

"And who are you to decide when I'm ready to hear something?" He nodded a little sheepishly, and seemed to acknowledge that I had a point. "What about Barry saying you were moving to Vegas?"

"My mom's had a pretty rough time since then, and she's in the country's only care facility for the two-natured. It's just outside of Las Vegas, and I recently bought a condo there. I don't plan on moving there permanently, but, I needed a place where I could stay whenever I went to see her. My sister just graduated from high school this past spring, so, she stays there full-time."

"Yeah, Jake pointed her out to me tonight."

He nodded. "She showed up here last night. I guess she got into a fight with this guy she'd been dating, and wanted to get away for a few days. She knew I was here for the summit."

I was a little shocked when he walked over and pulled me into his arms, hugging me. But, it had been such an overwhelming day, that I was grateful for the comfort. That is, until he sniffed me, and then pushed me back 'til I was at arm's length.

"Why do you smell like Eric?" he asked accusingly.

"That would be because we exchanged blood not long ago," came Eric's voice, and I turned to see him stepping out of the stairwell.

Quinn looked angry, so I explained to him that we'd only done it because Andre had forced the issue. "So, really, Eric saved me from having to exchange blood with Andre," I finished.

"Sookie, how many times have you and Eric exchanged blood?" Quinn asked.

I thought about it for a moment, and then said, "Um, three, I think."

Quinn growled softly in his chest. "Then you're now bonded to him. Did he happen to tell you that when he was _saving_ you? That he'll always be able to know where you are, how you feel. It's permanent, Sookie."

I looked to Eric. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. But, surely you realize we had no other choice."

"Ha!" Quinn said loudly. "I'm sure that's exactly what you'd like her to think." Then, he looked down at me, again. "Sookie, according to vampire law, he can now dictate what other supernatural creatures spend time with you. In essence, he _owns_ you."

I gasped, and put my hand over my mouth. Eric's expression told me that everything Quinn had just said was correct. I couldn't handle anything more, so, I walked away from both of them, and made my way back down to my own room. Once I'd washed my face and changed my clothes, I cried myself to sleep.

**A/N Yes, I know, I left out the Dr. Pepper bomb. It was a personal decision.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N I meant to have this posted a few days ago, but, unfortunately it wasn't ready. Let's face it, this is a busy time of year! It doesn't exactly help that I work for the postal service, so my hours have doubled, and that I'm trying to potty-train my 3-year old autistic son! This is the chapter I've been waiting to write ever since I started the fic, so, I hope you enjoy it!**

When I woke the next day, the first thing I did was check the clock on the nightstand. It was 4pm. I'd been asleep for over 12 hours. I lifted my hand to push some of my hair out of my face, and realized how puffy and swollen the area around my eyes felt. So, after I'd emptied my bladder, I called down to room service to order coffee, some food, and an ice pack. I was nervous about letting a stranger into my room, but, while the attendant was pouring my coffee, Carla walked in, which made me feel at least a little better. She was wearing the same outfit she'd been in the night before, and her neck was covered in hickeys.

The portions of the food were much larger than I'd anticipated, so, Carla ended up sharing my breakfast with me, so it worked out nicely. She kept going on and on about how excited she was about the ball tonight, because it gave her a chance to wear a new dress. After we'd finished eating, she went into the bathroom to take a shower, and I decided to paint my finger and toenails. It also gave me a chance to do some thinking.

I knew that I owed Eric an apology. When Quinn told me the consequences of exchanging blood with Eric, I was so overwhelmed that I'd just stormed off. I'm sure that Eric thought it was because I was upset that he hadn't told me all of this before. But, in all honesty, there hadn't been a chance. Andre wouldn't have let us put off the exchange to have a long conversation, and I'd been the one to walk away as soon as the exchange was over. I wanted Eric to know that, even though I resented being forced into the situation, I knew it was not at all his fault. I would also need to explain to Quinn that it wasn't very fair of him to make it seem as though Eric had manipulated me into being bonded with him.

When Carla _finally_ came out of the bathroom, I was able to get clean and work on my hair and make-up. I went a little heavier on the makeup than I normally would, and I put in the big earrings that Tara had told me would be just perfect with my dress. I used a curling iron to put large curls in my hair. I wanted to try to pull it up, but, I'm no good with anything more complex than a ponytail. Carla knocked on the bathroom door and let herself in, because she'd left her lipstick by the sink. She stood behind me and smiled at me in the mirror for a moment, and then said, "Can I try something?"

"Um, sure," I said, completely clueless.

In less than 5 minutes, she'd used a couple of really pretty silver clips to pull portions of my hair back, securing it near the crown of my head. It looked wonderful, and I couldn't help but give her a sort of half hug in thanks.

I had to try very hard to contain my excitement when I walked to the closet to get my dress. It was ice blue, and had silver and white beads, and was cut just the right depth in the front and back. It had a built-in bra so I didn't have to wear one, and I pulled on some blue panties that would never leave a line. Then thigh-high hose. Then my shoes, which were high heeled and silvery.

I was just putting on my lipstick when there was a knock at the door. It was Gervaise, checking to see if Carla was ready. After they left, well pleased with each other, I stood in the middle of the bedroom. Because of the way things ended last night, I hadn't made arrangements to meet either Eric or Quinn anywhere in particular, so, I figured I'd just find one of them when I got to the ball. I began making my way to the door while checking to be sure the pager Sophie-Anne had given me was in my purse. I gasped in shock when I pulled open the door to reveal Andre standing there, hand poised to knock. He was _definitely_ not someone I was happy to see.

He was as flustered as I'd ever seen him; I could tell because his fingers were clenching and unclenching, and his lip was bloody where he'd bitten it, though, it healed as I watched. His lack of composure made me more than nervous.

"The council has decided that the queen will have to go on trial, right now. How could this happen?" he asked, while guiding me down the hall and into the elevator. "Sookie, you need to learn everything you can about this. We have more enemies than we knew."

"I thought there wouldn't be a trial after Jennifer got killed. Since she was the queen's chief accuser-"

"That's what we all thought. Or, if there was a trial, it would be an empty form, staged simply so the charges could be dismissed. But we got down there tonight and they were waiting for us. They've put off the start of the ball to do this." Just then, the elevator door opened on the main lobby. "Take my arm," he said, and I was so taken by surprise that I slid my arm through his. "Smile," he said. "Look confident." And we walked into the convention hall with bold faces – me, and my good buddy Andre.

We strolled the gauntlet until it terminated in the room where the wedding had been held. The crowd was almost 100 percent vampire. If it was possible for me to feel more anxious, I did.

I could see Quinn had been busy. The low platform had been rearranged. The giant ankh had been put away, and two lecterns had been added. There was now a throne-like chair, and sitting in it was an ancient woman with wild white hair. I had never seen a vampire who had been turned when she was so old, and though I'd sworn I wasn't going to speak to him, I said as much to Andre.

"That is the Ancient Pythoness," he said. "She is the original oracle that Alexander consulted. She was considered so revered that even in her old age, she was converted by the very primitive vampire of her time. And now she has outlasted all of them. She is what is commonly referred to as a 'Seer.' She is brought out for special occasions, usually to pass judgment when a king or queen has been accused of breaking one of our laws."

I was intrigued by his answer, but, at the same time, taken aback by all the information I'd just been given. Andre wasn't known for being verbose. He seemed to be his normal self once again when he simply nodded when I asked if the Pythoness was really blind from birth.

We eventually reached a row of seats where most of the Louisiana contingent was sitting. Not far in front of the seats I spotted Johan Glassport, Sophie-Anne's lawyer. It looked like he was going to be getting his moment in the limelight after all.

Andre and I took our seats, and I found myself next to Cleo Babbitt, one of the other sheriff's. "What crawled up his ass and died?" she muttered as she nodded towards the front left of the room. I followed her gesture to see Henrik Feith, who had transformed himself from a panicky scaredy-cat to a ball of wrath. It seemed he was the main reason the trial was going to take place. "The queen offers to take him under her wing when he's alone and defenseless, and this is the thank she gets?" Cleo added.

I was surprised when, seemingly out of nowhere, Andre stood and quickly made his way to a door on the side of the room. The queen had just entered through the door, followed by Bill, Pam, and Eric. When Andre reached them, he and the other three vampires knelt in front of Sophie-Anne. She stood before them like a Roman goddess accepting tribute.

A moment later, Quinn leaped up on the stage. He was wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and tie, and he carried a long staff covered with carvings. He handed it to the King of Kentucky with a flourish, who thudded the staff against the floor. All conversation ceased, and the trial began.

After a bit of ceremony where the Pythoness and the two lawyers were asked if they were ready, Henrik Feith was told to state his case. It was long and ardent, and full of accusations. His lawyer let him go on and on, and judging by the body language in the crowd, I wasn't the only one who found it particularly boring.

"And now," Henrik concluded, "there are only a handful of us left in the whole state. She, who killed my king, has offered me a place with her. And I was almost weak enough to accept. But she is a liar and she will kill me, too."

"Someone told him that," I murmured.

"Shush," Cleo said, as she reached over and pinched my arm. I leaned forward a bit and tried to focus on the lawyer standing next to Henrik. He was part demon, but since most of him was human, I was able to hear a little of what was going on in his head. Henrik had been happy to let the matter go, but, someone had him convinced that the queen would kill him, and the only way to protect himself would be to proceed with the trial.

"She doesn't want to kill you," I called out before I could stop myself. I wasn't even aware that I'd gotten to my feet until I felt the eyes of everyone in the audience on me.

"Woman," said the stentorian voice of the Ancient Pythoness, "Be silent. What right do you have to intrude on these solemn proceedings?"

"I don't have any right in the world. But I know the truth."

"Oh, then why should I have come forth from my cave to give judgment?"

I finally began to realize how much trouble this could potentially turn into. "I may hear the truth, but I don't have the juice to get justice done," I said honestly.

Eric had been standing to the side of the room with Andre, Pam and Bill, but now he moved forward. I'm not sure how he did it, but he gave me some courage. He stepped up behind me, and we slowly made our way forward until we were standing with Sophie-Anne and Glassport. By the looks of the council on the stage, I knew I should continue.

"Henrik thinks that the queen decided to have him killed. He was told that, so he would testify against her in self-defense," I said.

"The queen didn't decide to have me killed?" Henrik said, looking hopeful.

"No, she didn't. She was sincere in offering you a place."

Before either of us could say anything else, the Ancient Pythoness raised her hand in a stopping motion. "Sophie-Anne Leclerq, it is your turn to present your side of the story. Will you proceed?"

Sophie-Anne gave a brief explanation of what happened the night of Peter Threadgill's final death. When she was finished, the Ancient Pythoness said, "In the time since that night, you have suffered many other losses."

"Yes, I've had many losses – both in terms of my people, and in terms of my income. This is why I need my inheritance from my husband, to which I'm entitled as part of our marriage covenant. He thought he would inherit the rich kingdom of Louisiana. Now I will be glad if I can get the poor one of Arkansas."

There was a long silence during which it looked like the ancient vampire was staring at her own lap. Then she looked up, and her sightless eyes went unerringly to Sophie-Anne. "Arkansas is yours by law, and now yours by right. I declare you innocent of conspiring to murder your husband."

I was close enough to see that Sophie-Anne's eyes widened with relief and surprise.

"Now, Henrik," croaked the Ancient Pythoness, "your safety is assured. Who has told you lies?"

Henrik hardly looked assured. He looked scared witless. He rose to his feet to stand by me. The next expression to cross his face was utter horror. He looked down, and we all followed his eyes. There was a thin wooden shaft protruding from his chest, and as soon as his eyes identified it, his hand rose to touch it, and he swayed. A human crowd would have erupted in chaos, but the vampires threw themselves on the floor in near silence. The two Britlingens, who had been standing by the wall on the edge of the room, leapt across the stage to Kentucky and stood in front of him, their weapons in their hands. Andre followed suit and put himself in front of Sophie-Anne. Quinn came barreling across the stage to knock me down, and he took the second arrow, the insurance arrow, that was meant for Henrik. It was quite unnecessary. Henrik was dead when he hit the floor.

Batanya killed the assassin with a throwing star. I've seen vampires decapitated before, but I still had a moment of nausea as I watched the head topple off the shoulders. I scrambled to my knees to check on Quinn.

"I'm not bad," he said instantly. "Not bad. It's in my shoulder, not my heart."

Surprisingly, Cleo came over, and after only a moment of preparation, pulled the arrow from Quinn's shoulder. He bellowed as it came out, but he still managed to keep himself quite composed, considering the circumstances. It was only then that I'd noticed that she'd taken off her blouse, and had folded it into a pad. I took it from her, and held it tight against Quinn's wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

I knew Eric was beside me before he spoke, because I felt less terrified. He knelt down to my level. Quinn was concentrating on not yelling, so his eyes were shut as though he was unconscious.

"He's going to heal," Eric said. He didn't sound especially happy about it, but not sad, either.

"Yes," I said.

"I know you may come to hate me because I spared you the bite of Andre," he said quietly. "But I really am the lesser of two evils."

I turned my gaze away from Quinn to look at him. "I know that. I wouldn't have rather died than get bit by Andre. And, I wanted to apologize for the way I left things last night. I was overwhelmed, and just needed to be by myself for a while. And, as much as I resent that I was forced into this bond, or whatever, with you, I don't blame you for it. I know that you didn't have the opportunity to tell me all the in's and out's of it before Quinn brought it up last night. I can't be angry with you for not telling me something, when there was absolutely no chance for you to do it."

Eric began to speak again, but was interrupted when a team of paramedics came over. It wasn't surprising to find that they were all Weres or shifters of some type. They got Quinn all loaded up onto the stretcher pretty quickly.

"I'll be by later to check on you, Quinn," I said to him softly. "You're the bravest of the brave."

"Babe," he said, biting his lower lip from the pain. "Be careful."

I watched as they carried him off. Once he was out of sight, Eric asked, "Do you love him?"

"Don't know yet."

"Do you love me?"

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to reveal. "I honestly don't know, Eric. I'm not even sure if I really know who you truly are."

He stood, then held his hand out for me, and helped me to my feet as well. "You don't seem to have yes or no answers about men," he said.

"You don't exactly seem to know how you feel about me, either," I said.

He smiled a little and bowed his head in acknowledgement. His gaze moved to a point behind me for a moment, and then he said, "You should probably go check in with the queen."

I nodded and turned to leave, but hesitated at the last moment. "Eric," I said to him over my shoulder, "even though I'm not exactly sure as to how I feel about you, there is one thing I do know. If I decided to allow it, I know that I could easily fall very much in love with you."

I walked away without another word, and went to stand behind Sophie-Anne, who seemed to be surrounded with well-wishers. I wasn't sure she'd even registered my presence, but, during a lull in the chitchat, she reached behind her and took my hand, squeezing it very lightly. "We'll talk later," she said.

As I stepped away, I saw her lift the hand that had held mine and lick it gently. I looked down to see that my own hands were stained with Quinn's blood. I quickly found myself heading off to find a restroom so I could wash my hands and calm my nerves.

I wasn't at all surprised at how small the ladies' room was, since most of the guests at the Pyramid of Gizeh wouldn't need to use such a facility, except to use the sink or mirror. But, I was mildly shocked to see an attendant waiting, a nicety I'd only read about in books. As I took care of business in the nice clean stall, I quickly peeked into my purse to make sure I had a couple of bills that I could use to tip her. When I was finished, the attendant actually turned on the faucet for me, and then handed me a towel when I was done. I dropped two dollars into the tip bowl, and thanked her as I made my way back to the door. There was a full-length mirror next to the door frame, and I was happy to see that my dress wasn't at all dirty or wrinkled from what had happened at the trial. It didn't escape my notice however that the attendant was looking at me with a look of extreme distaste. She saw my eyes catch hers, and had the decency to look a little abashed.

When I opened the door back into the hallway, I found Pam standing against the wall waiting for me. I remembered that as I left the ballroom, I'd seen Eric talking to Batanya over the shriveling corpse of the vampire who'd fired the arrows, so I assumed Pam had some news about it for me. She surprised me however by simply saying, "What's with the tiger, then?"

"I'm not sure, the paramedics took him…"I began.

"No, no, I'm not talking about his current injured status," she said as if she was speaking to an irritating child.

"What do you mean then?"

"Sookie, I don't know what strange game you and Eric have going, but it's not good for us."

"I don't know what I can do about that," I said.

"Sookie, do not be coy. We both know that you are not unintelligent. You are very aware that, after the damage that Hurricane Katrina caused, we currently appear somewhat weak. Having a sheriff competing with a shifter for the affections of a human only makes it worse. You need to make a choice."

I sighed. "Pam, I know that. It's not like I'm purposefully dragging my feet."

When a hotel employee came down the hall to enter the bathroom, Pam gestured to me, and we began to walk. This was not the kind of conversation you'd want just anyone to overhear.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance to you. What's the hang up?"

I peered at her sideways, trying not to laugh at her use of the common phrase. "Well, for one thing, because his work keeps him so busy, I haven't had a good honest chance to really get to know Quinn, yet."

"You've spent plenty of time with Eric, though."

"Yes, but it's not like it's done me a whole lot of good! I've seen so many different sides of him; I'm having a pretty hard time figuring out which one is the real him."

"Has it occurred to you to simply ask him? I'm certain he would not deny you the knowledge should you ask."

"You and he have been together for a long time, why don't you just tell me?"

She stopped walking, and turned to look me straight in the eye. "It is not my place to do so."

The tone of her voice, and expression on her face finally made sense to me. "You're really worried about him, aren't you?" When she nodded, I found myself saying, "When did you meet Eric?"

"I met him in London the last night of my life. I was a very wild girl for my time. Young ladies weren't supposed to be alone with gentlemen, or any males, for that matter. But, I was a romantic, and bold. I slipped out of my house late at night to meet with a young man who interested me. Our meeting was quite innocent though, and afterwards, I tried to slip silently through the garden back to my home. But, Eric was there. I only saw him for a brief moment before he first bit me, and then the next thing I could remember, he was lifting me out of my coffin after my family had buried me. He held me and explained everything to me."

"Why'd he turn you?"

"I think he was lonely. His last companion had struck out on her own, since children can't stay with their maker for long."

"Did you love him?"

Pam looked a little puzzled. "Love him? No. We were good companions. He taught me how to survive in my new state, and all about the many pleasures of the flesh. I enjoyed his company immensely, and still do. But love? No, surely not. Do _you_ love him, Sookie?"

"That seems to be quite the common question tonight. Eric asked me the same thing."

"And what was your answer?"

"I just don't know. He keeps so many secrets from me, Pam. And, I know that there are things that he can't tell me about, and I accept that. But, it always feels like there's something hanging in the air between us, like there's something he wants to tell me, but doesn't."

She began walking again, heading back towards the ballroom. "And do you think Quinn is being completely honest with you?"

I didn't think she was referring to his pit fighting days. "That's quite the loaded question, Pam. Are you aware that Quinn's keeping something from me?"

She smiled ruefully and said, "Did you ever wonder how the Were's that the Pelt's hired were able to find you so easily in New Orleans?" I froze in shock, and she walked away.

A feeling of pure dread crept over my entire body. I'd been so shocked by the attack, that it never occurred to me to think about how they'd found me! Even though I was sure he'd still be in pain and healing, I had to find Quinn right away and get the answer from him. All three of us deserved to have the matter settled, so to speak.

I went to the front desk, and asked the clerk if there was an infirmary that he'd been taken to. She gave me directions, and less than five minutes later, I was standing outside the doorway, and I could hear Quinn's familiar voice inside. I knocked gently on the door, and stuck my head in, to see that the paramedics were still with him.

Quinn actually looked pretty happy to see me, and he asked the others to give us some privacy. Once they left, I walked over and shut the door.

"Babe, I'm so glad you're here," he said.

"How you doin?" I asked. What I had to ask him was weighing heavily on my mind, but Gran raised me to be nothing if not polite.

"I'm healing, but I'm hurting. I should be fine by tomorrow, though," he said with a smile, and reached out to take my hand. I moved just out of his reach and sat down in a chair.

"Quinn, there's something I want to ask you, and I need you to promise me that you'll answer me truthfully, okay?"

"Sure babe, anything."

I took a deep breath. "Do you know how the hired Were's in New Orleans knew where to find me?"

The smile on his face was gone immediately, and he sighed loudly. "I don't exactly know _how_ the Pelts found out that you and I knew each other, unless someone at the packmaster competition in Shreveport told them. The day after we were supposed to have our first date, they called me. They said they had reason to believe that you knew more about Debbie's disappearance than you were saying. I told them you were staying at your cousin's place in New Orleans, and arranged for the two of us to be there alone that day. The guys they sent were supposed to tie us both up and take us to the Pelts, and then Debbie's parents were gonna try to get the truth out of you by threatening to torture me. Neither of us was supposed to actually get hurt."

I closed my eyes, trying desperately not to cry. "How were you supposed to benefit from the arrangement?"

"They were supposed to pay the guys that grabbed us after the whole job was done. But, they didn't actually want to do it, so, I was gonna miraculously escape and kill the guys that took us. That way, the Pelts didn't have to pay them, and you would've thought I was some kind of hero."

I felt sick to my stomach. "Quinn, do you realize that you just told me that you thought I'd be impressed by murder? That's not something I would ever condone!"

"That's a little hypocritical isn't it? Eric's probably killed thousands of people. Why am I the only one being held to that standard?"

"This isn't about Eric, Quinn, it's about you. Ya know, last night when Jake told me all about your pit fighting, I was pretty upset. Not because of what you'd done, but because you kept it from me. I know that you only did what you had to in order to save your mother, and that you probably wouldn't have chosen to be a pit fighter if you hadn't been forced into it. And, that night in New Orleans when the Arkansas vamps attacked everyone, you had to kill in order to defend yourself. I may not like that kind of killin', but, I can live with it, because it's justifiable. But, you planning on killing people so that the Pelts wouldn't have to pay them, and to make yourself look good to me, that's different. That's premeditated murder, Quinn. And, I'm sorry, but, I won't be in a relationship with a person who does that sort of thing."

I stood to leave, and just as I put my hand on the door handle, he said, "He knew, ya know. Eric. He told me last night that he found out the truth. So ya see, I'm not the only one with secrets, Sookie."

Without turning back to him, I said, "Quinn, why is it that whenever we talk about something you've done that I don't approve of, you try to turn it back around on Eric? Maybe if you had spent more time showing me your good side, rather than trying to show me Eric's bad side, things would be different. I've heard that the queen is still offering a reward to anyone who can prove how those Weres found us, since I was under her protection at the time. Since you did just more or less take an arrow for me, I won't breathe a word of this to her, and I'll ask Eric to do the same. But, that's the end of it. Goodbye, Quinn."

I left the room, and shut the door gently behind me. I was absolutely not in the mood to go back to the ball and dance, so, I instead made my way to the elevators. The door opened just as I reached it, and Jake Purifoy and a couple of hotel employees came out. By the looks on their faces, it seemed like I'd just interrupted something. I figured it was probably just elevator small talk and tried to pass them and get on the elevator.

"Sookie, there you are!" Jake said. "Eric's been looking for you. He has some info on the guy that shot the arrows, and he wanted to talk to you about it. He just went up to his room, so I'll bet he's still up there."

I, very unenthusiastically, thanked him, and hit the button for Eric's floor. I really just wanted to go to bed, but knew that this was more important. I was halfway to Eric's room from the elevator when his room opened, and he began to walk out.

"Jake said you were looking for me?" I asked as he came to stand in front of me.

"Yes. Please, let us take this to my room so we may sit," he said, and put his hand on the small of my back as he led me to his room.

When I first stepped through the doorway, I found myself looking around curiously. The only other vampire room I'd seen in this hotel was the queen's suite, which was pretty lavish, and I was interested in seeing what a regular light-tight room would look like. In all honesty, it looked almost identical to my room! The main differences being that it was a little roomier, and the glass in the windows was opaque. Oh yeah, and there weren't any coffins sitting on luggage racks in my room.

I turned my attention back to Eric as he motioned for me to sit on one of the two beds, while he sat on the other.

"Oddly enough," he began, "the vampire that killed Henrik Feith actually had a wallet in his back pocket. In it, among other things, was a driver's license issued by Illinois. His name was Kyle Perkins, and the age listed on his license shows that he was made a vampire only 3 years ago."

"Did anyone else downstairs know him, or anything about him?" I asked.

"If they did, they kept quiet about it. Tomorrow, during the daytime, I want you to check all the local places you can practice archery. Throwing arrows is not a skill you can improvise. He trained. The arrow was specially made. We need to find out what happened to Kyle Perkins, and why this rogue accepted the job to attend this meeting and kill whomever necessary. We have assumed ownership of the few vehicles that the Arkansas vampires rented, so, you may use one of those. I am having Bill compile a list of the archery ranges, and he will leave it along with a photo of Perkins at the front desk for you."

I nodded, and when he didn't say anything else, I stood up. I was just putting my hand on the doorknob when he spoke again from behind me.

"When I was looking for your earlier, Pam said you'd gone to the infirmary."

I wasn't sure if he was asking a question or making a statement, so I stayed silent.

"Are you Quinn's now?" he asked. I was getting really sick and tired of everyone thinking I had to belong to someone else.

Turning back to look at him, I said, "I'm my own. I choose."

"And have you chosen?"

I knew I should be irritated that he'd decided to bring all of this up at this particular moment. But, I couldn't help but be calm in his presence, and I figured it was probably because of the bond we now had. While I kind of resented that I didn't have full control of my emotions, it made me realize something as well. If I _had___been able to be upset, I don't think I would've recognized how much hope and longing there was in his voice.

As I stood there simply looking at him, I thought about all the times he'd been there for me, all of the things he'd done for me. I immediately recalled what I'd told him in the ballroom not long ago. _'If I decided to allow it, I know that I could easily fall very much in love with you.'_ It was in that moment that I realized that I'd been fooling myself all along. It's not that I _**could**_ fall in love with Eric; it's that I _**had**_ fallen in love with him.

His eyebrows raised, and I knew that he was still waiting for an answer. I stepped forward until we were almost touching, and raised my arms, resting one hand on his chest, the other on his shoulder.

"Yes, Eric. I choose you."

His lips were on mine the moment the words were out. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his embrace, holding me so tightly that I'm surprised my ribs didn't creak. He kissed me over and over again in a kind of frenzy, and I gave back as good as I got. Until this moment, I hadn't realized how much I'd truly missed being in his arms.

When I felt a light breeze through my hair, I opened my eyes and pulled back a bit to see what it was. Well, that, and I had to stop kissing him so I could breathe! He must've used his vampire speed to move us, because we were no longer standing at the door. Instead, we were next to one of the beds.

His mouth began to move along my neck and jaw, and then to my earlobe. I smiled to myself as I felt him begin to unzip my dress at the same moment I began to unbutton his shirt. Part of me wanted to take all of this slowly, and savor every moment. But, my urgent need for him won out, and apparently he agreed, because before I knew it, we were both naked on the bed, and he had placed himself at the entrance to my body.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked through somewhat clenched teeth.

"Yes, Eric," I said, pushing myself closer to him. "I want this. I want you."

He dipped his head and kissed me as he pushed forward. It felt as if he'd never been gone, like we'd made love ever night since he'd stayed with me while he was cursed. He held still for a moment until I began to wiggle to urge him on.

As he slowly began to move inside me, his mouth moved as well, placing soft, delicate kisses everywhere he would reach. He began speaking quietly in a language I didn't understand as his pace began to speed up. When he had me hovering at the golden edge, he pulled his face back from mine slightly, and looked deep into my eyes.

"My Sookie," he whispered. "My lover."

In a move I hadn't seen coming, he dropped his mouth to my breast, and I felt the sharp sting of his fangs as his mouth closed over my nipple. It all became too much, and I tightened my grip on my shoulders as called out his name as my orgasm rushed over me. Just as I started to come back down to earth, he released my breast and whipped his head back as he met his own climax.

He shifted over to lie on his back, and pulled me to him, so I rested my head on his chest. His hand was gently stroking my hair, and it didn't take long before I fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry it's taken so long for this update. Things have been rather hectic around here. My 3-year old son is autistic, and he attends a preschool specially for children with autism. Our state legislature is in session right now, and they're considering a bit budget cut from the department of education, which would make very large changes to my son's program, so, we've been busy!**

**A very special thanks to my pre-reader, JenniferAnnB, for being the Dee to my Tweedle. Also, the wonderful Northwoman is now betaing this for me. Apparently, I have a tendency to use the word "that" too often...huh, who knew?**

The process of waking up seemed to be taking a lot longer than was normal. It felt as if I was trying to find my way through a thick, dense fog in an unfamiliar place. Although I could feel that Eric was no longer in the bed with me, I could hear his voice softly speaking at a rapid pace, so I knew he wasn't far away. However, it was the sound of Pam's voice that finally brought me to full consciousness.

I knew that I couldn't continue to simply lie in bed, because Eric and Pam would surely sense I was awake. But, I also didn't want to just sit upright, because that only increased the chance for Pam to see me naked. I opened one eye, and felt around a bit with my hands, making sure that I was well covered, which I was, most likely thanks to Eric.

I sat up a little, propping myself up on the pillows that were resting against the bed's headboard. Eric (who was completely naked-yum) and Pam (still in her evening dress) were standing in front of the door that led from the room out into the hallway. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed it was closed. With the fact that I was awake now completely clear, Pam said one final thing to Eric, and then left the room. Not before turning and winking at me, however. Not even 30 seconds later, Eric was crawling back into bed with me.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked him.

"Not quite an hour," he said, before he smirked and added, "And, no, Pam was not here the entire time. She only came in a few moments ago to give the both of us a message from the Queen."

"Oh," I said, feeling nervous. I wasn't able to tell by Eric's tone if the message was good or bad.

His smile became more pronounced, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him, before he kissed the top of head. "Sophie-Anne simply wanted to let the both of us know how pleased she has been with you this evening. As if everything you did at the trial wasn't enough to put you in her good graces, Pam discovered that you were indeed correct about something else. She overheard a conversation between a human man and his wife, and decided to introduce herself. The man's name is Julian Trout, and he works for a local television news station."

I scrunched my face a little and thought, then smiled and looked back at him again. "The weather witch?"

"Indeed."

Now, I'm not a vain person, but, I couldn't help but be proud of myself for that one. The look on Eric's face let me know that he was proud of me as well, and I hugged myself closer to him. But, I pulled back again when his expression turned from pride to lust.

"Oh no you don't," I said. "We have some talking to do, mister. There will be plenty of time for more of that later."

He quirked one eyebrow at me. "Promise?" I giggled and nodded my head. "Alright then. Proceed."

"Well, first of all, let's begin by stating the obvious. I chose you, Eric. To me, that means I have very strong feelings for you, and I love being with you. However, it does **not** mean that you own me." I felt him stiffen a little, so I quickly continued.

"Eric, I know that the world of vampire politics is much more complex than I understand. I know there are details of your life that, for the safety of both of us, you won't be able to tell me. I get that. I don't like it, but I understand why it has to be that way. I won't be upset if, when we're around other vamps, we have to pretend that I'm yours. But, just don't forget that's all it is, pretending. I don't belong to you. I choose to be with you, but that doesn't give you permission to run my life." When he didn't say anything for a moment, I shifted my body so I could see his face, and asked, "Does that make sense?"

He nodded and sighed, which seemed so odd since he didn't need to breathe. "Yes, it makes sense. Lover, it is not my desire to control you. If that was what I wanted, I could have had it with countless fangbangers by now. What I what from you is a companion, someone to walk by my side, to share my existence. But, you must remember I am used to doing things my own way, and that is not something that I can change overnight. Have patience with me, please, Sookie. I do not want to lose you."

Normally, I probably would've scoffed at his uncharacteristic words. But, through the bond that we share, I could feel his complete sincerity, which reminded me.

"Eric, I think you need to explain to me a little more about this bond that we have now. I really don't like the idea of you controlling my emotions."

The corners of his mouth turned down, leaving him frowning. The expression sat rather oddly on his face. "I will do my best to help you understand, but, you must remember that **you** are different, so there are things neither of us will understand. Normally, when a human is bonded to a vampire, the vampire can call the human to them at any time, using the power of the exchanged blood. However, as it is a compulsion quite similar to glamour, I do not believe that it would work on you. Our being bonded has not given me any control over you whatsoever. We will both be able to get a taste of how the other is feeling. If one of us is in trouble, or injured, the other will know. Obviously, the connection feels stronger the less distance between us. That goes hand in hand with the fact that you will most likely feel calmer, more relaxed, the closer I am to you."

"Eric, that right there is a form of control. I mean, yeah, it's not like you'd be willfully forcing me to be calm, but, your presence would change my emotions."

He sat up all the way, and turned to face me, looking deep into my eyes. "Sookie, has there never been anyone in your life that had a calming effect on you? That made you feel better simply by being there?"

Before I had the chance to deny it, an image of Gran floated through my thoughts. I guess I did understand. No matter how bad things got, having her around always made me feel better. "Okay, Eric, I get what you're saying. My Gran used to always make me feel like that. But it's not the same thing!"

"What about it do you feel is different?" he asked me.

"Well, first off, I'd known Gran all my life. She raised me and Jason after our parents were killed, and she took care of us. I've barely known you more than year."

"True, her presence was in your life for a much longer time than mine. However, one could argue that I have taken care of you, as well."

I thought for a moment about all the ways that he'd helped me, all the times he'd saved my life. "Fair enough. But, with Gran, I initiated that feeling within myself. With you, it's different."

"How is it different Sookie? In the case of your grandmother, you knew her for your entire life, she cared for you and provided for you, and because of all those things, and your deep relationship with her, you felt comfort with her. Because you and I have known each other for a short amount of time, it is harder for you to accept that my presence would be calming for you. That does not mean it is different, however, only your perception of it is different. Just because you do not understand it, does not mean that there is something wrong, or even evil about it."

For a moment, I sat silently thinking about what he'd just told me. Was he right? Just because it wasn't something I'd expected, was I forcing myself to think it was wrong? I knew that was something I wouldn't know the answer to without a lot of deep thought.

"Eric, I can't say for certain that I do or do not agree with you about all of that. I don't think it's something I can just suddenly understand, so, I'm going to need to think about it for awhile."

"The fact that you are willing to consider my opinion, and not just jump to your own conclusion only continues to prove your intelligence. Well, since now that is settled, is it time for sex again?"

He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. I rested my head on his chest for a moment, and then leaned up to kiss his cheek before I started speaking. "Nice try, but, no, we still have other things to talk about. How and when did you find out that Quinn was involved in the Pelt's plot to kidnap me in New Orleans?"

"There was no logical way for them to know your location without the aid of an informant. I knew none of the vampires in Sophie Anne's retinue would have risked her wrath. After what happened with Waldo, they all knew better than to double cross their Queen. It couldn't have been a member of the Arkansas party, because, as humans would say, they had 'bigger fish to fry.' All of my theories were leading to dead ends. I knew that it had to be someone who had no other reason to be in New Orleans at the same time as you.

"As the time for Sophie Anne's trial grew closer, she began to feel more and more nervous that others thought of her as weak, especially after Katrina. She couldn't afford to have other supes believe they could get away with such a betrayal. She assigned Rasul to further investigate. He asked for my assistance in the matter, because he knew I was at least somewhat familiar with what supes are usually involved in your life.

"The evening before we departed for the summit, he and I were more or less comparing notes on who we'd spoken to. I'd questioned Quinn not long after the Pelts had taken you both, thinking he might have overheard something that would be of use to us. He'd told me that he'd been in Texas when Sophie Anne contacted him to ask for his assistance with Jake Purifoy. However, Rasul informed me that Quinn arrived in New Orleans only a few hours after we did. He told Sophie Anne he was there to spend some 'quality time' with the woman he was seeing.

"Immediately, both of us believed that we'd found your betrayer. Rasul made a call to the King of Mississippi, calling in a favor he was owed, and Russell sent three of his best thugs to question the Pelt family. A few hours later, Russell called us back and confirmed that Quinn had been the one to set you up."

"Then that explains Russell's comment." Eric looked confused for a moment, so I continued by saying, "Just before the wedding ceremony between him and Indiana, he asked me if Quinn was 'my man.' I told him no, but that we were spending time together. He got a strange look on his face, and just said 'interesting.'"

"The night of the wedding, Rasul and I were in the main lobby area, discussing who could have possibly killed Jennifer Cater, when Quinn approached us. He told me that the priest for the wedding had cancelled at the last moment, and asked for my services. I agreed, and he went over a few details with me. While we were speaking, Rasul went to join the Queen and Andre, leaving Quinn and I alone. I told him that I was fully aware of his involvement in the Pelt's kidnapping plot. He became extremely agitated, and said that if I gave you the information, he'd deny it, and find a way to get rid of me."

At first, I was a little shocked by Quinn's threat to Eric. Sure, the supe world is full of violence, but how could he just up and kill someone simply to avoid a fight with the woman he was trying to date? But, it seemed that it was normal behavior for him, from what I'd learned earlier. When I was sure Eric had finished his story, I asked, "Eric, why **didn't** you tell me?"

He leaned closer to me, and cupped my cheek in his cool hand. "I saw the pain and heartache in your eyes when you learned the truth about Bill. I never wanted to see you hurting so much, ever again, especially from something I'd told you. Since Quinn knew I would be watching him closely, I was confident he wouldn't try to harm you. I found no reason to tell you, because all it would do is cause you pain."

I put my hand over his on my cheek, and nuzzled him a bit. "Eric, I appreciate that, really I do. I love that you were trying to save me some heartache. But, if we're going to be together, I can't have you keeping secrets like that from me."

He nodded, then leaned forward and placed his lips on mine. His kiss was very soft, and slow, but also very heartfelt and real. I tried to deepen it a bit, but he pulled back, and smiled rather innocently at me.

"Okay, Eric, now," I said in a husky voice.

"Now, what, my lover?"

"Now's the time for more sex," I simply said.

He growled while pulling me to him, showing he was in complete agreement.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, I woke up alone in my own hotel room. I'll admit I was disappointed by that fact. But, leaving Eric a few hours before sunrise had been my idea, so there was no one to blame but myself. I'd done it for good reasons, or at least they seemed good at the time. First off, if I was going to investigate archery ranges today, I'd need to be at the top of my game, which meant getting plenty of rest. I knew that wouldn't happen if I stayed in bed with Eric. Besides, Pam would come back to the room eventually, and even if we weren't doing anything, I just wasn't comfortable being in bed with Eric with her only a few feet away.

I wasn't at all surprised to see Carla's bed still made. She must've stayed elsewhere, which was just fine with me. Not that I disliked Carla, she just had a tendency to be awful chatty, and it was a little too much for me before I'd had any coffee. I showered and dressed at a nice leisurely pace. I thought about ordering room service, but, opted to go down to the small restaurant instead. Being around so many supes the past couple of days had me yearning for the company of other humans.

Even though it was already almost 1pm, there weren't many people out and about in the hotel. Working for vamps had a tendency to make people a little nocturnal, and I'm sure most of them were thoroughly exhausted after the ball last night. I was kind of hoping I'd run into Barry, but didn't see him anywhere. Who I did see, however, was Frannie Quinn. She'd been smiling and talking with a few of her coworkers, but her expression soured when she saw me. She got up and left without speaking to me, but, if looks could kill, I'm sure I'd be as dead as the vampires in the rooms above.

I found an empty table and flagged down a waiter, signaling for coffee. He filled my cup and took my order for eggs and toast, and as I watched him leave, my eyes caught on a small television mounted in the corner of the restaurant. It was showing a local news broadcast, and I groaned inwardly as the person on the screen talked about how cold and rainy it was going to be that day. In the back of my mind, I wondered about what happened to the weather witch after Pam located him last night.

The waiter brought my food pretty quickly, and dropped an envelope on the table as well, saying it had been left at the front desk for me. As I nibbled on my toast, I began pulling sheets of paper out and reading them. The top sheet had a note written in familiar handwriting.

_Sookie,_

_Here is a list of archery ranges in the area, as Eric requested, and a copy of Kyle Perkins' ID. Each of the vehicles we have acquired is equipped with a GPS system, which I suggest you use, since you are unfamiliar with the area. I have included a short list of instructions, since I know how much you hate using new electronic devices._

_Yours,_

_William Compton_

As much as I wanted to be upset and offended about Bill's last comment, I was still grateful he'd thought to leave the GPS instructions. He was right, I do have a hard time learning to use new devices, but I hated that he was throwing in my face his familiarity with me.

As I continued to eat, I looked over the list, and noticed he'd put them in order by distance from the hotel. There were only 3 ranges, and the farthest was a little more than 10 miles away. Hopefully the GPS could keep me from getting lost, in an unfamiliar town, in the pouring rain.

It was easy to find the first two ranges, but none of the employees at either one recognized the picture of Kyle Perkins. Although it was discouraging, I tried to be optimistic as I set out for the final range. However, thanks to the GPS system, my mood quickly darkened.

First, it told me to turn the wrong way down a one-way road. Then, it had me going in circles in a round-a-bout, while I tried to determine which was my 'third right-hand turn.' By the time it tried to convince me to drive straight into Lake Michigan, I'd had enough. I finally pulled into a nearly empty parking lot, and figured out how to turn the sound off. If I had to hear 'Recalculating' one more time, I really WOULD drive into the lake!

I killed the engine, and leaned forward, allowing my head to rest on the steering wheel for a moment while I tried to gather my wits. After a few deep breaths, I sat up straight, and looked out the windows to try and get a sense of where I was. I knew beyond a doubt I would no longer be using the GPS system, so I needed to find someone who would hopefully give me directions. I was happy to see I'd pulled over in front of a small café, so I decided to go inside and ask for help.

I heard a bell over the door jingle as I entered, and almost immediately an older woman told me to sit wherever I'd like, and that she'd be right with me. I sat down in a small booth, on the opposite side of the café from the only other customers, a small family consisting of one adult and two young children. Just as the waitress reached their table, one of the children knocked over a glass of milk. I figured it'd probably be a couple of minutes until she was finished helping them clean it up, so I took a moment to look over the menu.

"Well, hello there, sugar," said the waitress in a pleasant voice, "what can I get for ya?"

I smiled as I answered. "Just some coffee, please. Also, I'm not from around here, and got a little lost, and was wondering if you could give me directions?"

As she filled a mug with coffee, she looked at me with both eyebrows raised. Her expression was clearly telling me I'd done something wrong. It reminded me so much of Gran, my chest began to feel tight. "Well honey, I can give you directions to just about anywhere within 100 miles of this place. But don't even _think_ about leaving here without trying a slice of our coconut cake. It's the house special."

I was about to open my mouth to politely refuse, but she simply shook her head and began walking towards the serving hatch. It was hard not to smile when she came back carrying a plate with a large slice of cake which looked absolutely heavenly.

She sat across the table from me, and asked where it was I headed. I gave her the address, and she immediately began writing furiously on her small notepad. She only paused once to look up at me and smile as I moaned at the first bite of cake. Apparently, it didn't just _look_ heavenly; it tasted like it, too.

Once she finished writing the directions, she excused herself to help a few more customers who had just walked in. I briefly looked down at the slip of paper, before taking another bite of cake. I'd only had coconut cake once or twice before, but from what I could remember, this recipe was absolutely superior.

As I continued to enjoy my cake, my mind began to drift back to the last time I'd heard someone speak of coconut cake. It had been a young woman named Bethany, whom I'd met with at the home of Stan Davis. I'd been sent there to help locate a missing vampire. That trip ended up having quite a few 'firsts' for me. The first time I travelled on vampire business; my first encounter with The Fellowship of the Sun; my first kiss with Eric.

I was amazed at how much my world had changed since that trip to Dallas. Back then, I was still in a relationship with Bill, and I thought we were completely in love with each other. Boy was I wrong about that. Well, sort of wrong, anyway. I had to admit to myself that, yes; I had indeed been in love with him. What was questionable, however, was if he ever truly loved me. As much as I hated to admit it, I suspected he probably had. What I would never know for sure though, was whether or not his feelings had progressed as quickly as he made it seem they had.

I thought back over our relationship, and what initially attracted me to him. It made me feel a little shallow to realize that what made him so attractive to me was a combination of his good looks, and the peaceful silence I found inside his mind. But, didn't most relationships start out somewhat similarly? You had to have some sort of attraction to the person in order to want to spend time with them, to get to know them.

The more and more I thought about it, though, I realized Bill and I hadn't _really_ spent a lot of time getting to know each other. Yes, since we spent a significant amount of time together, we had a basic understanding of the other's personality, but did we really _know_ each other? Bill had spent a lot of time asking me about myself, so, it was safe to say he knew me quite well. But, he'd never really opened up very much about himself. I guess I couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk a lot about his wife and children, or when he was turned, because it was a very painful subject for him. I remembered that he'd make the occasional comment about how society as a whole had changed, such as how women used to wear long skirts with several garments underneath. We'd even talked a few times about how weather patterns had changed. But we never really discussed _him_ in great detail.

When Eric basically made Bill confess to me his true purpose in returning to Bon Temps, I'd been so overwhelmed with heartache and sadness, it almost consumed me. It took a long time for that to shift into anger, but when it did, it grew to full blown rage. But, I guess that old saying about hindsight being 20/20 and all is dead on (hardy har). As I think about it now, I see there were lots of little signs I'd missed.

As I've discovered recently, vampires don't share their blood with humans just on a whim. It's something they take very seriously, with good reason. But, it seems like Bill was always trying to find a way to get me to take some of his blood. The first time was when the Ratrays nearly beat me to death in the parking lot of Merlotte's. Now I've thought a lot about it, and I just don't believe Bill knew what they were going to do, or that he arranged for it to happen. But, I _do_ believe that, once it'd happened, he saw it as an opportunity to get some of his blood in me, and make himself a hero in my eyes. Then, when we'd gone to Fangtasia to find out who was stealing the bar's money, he'd found a way to get me to take even more. And to top it all off, when I was in the hospital after I'd almost been killed by Rene, he seemed shocked and almost offended that I wouldn't allow him to give me blood to heal my injuries.

Thinking of _that_ particular hospital stay reminded me that he'd left me and gone to New Orleans while there was still a serial killer on the loose. A killer who'd already made more than one attempt on my life, killing my poor grandmother in the process. I guess, to Bill, Eric having any power over our relationship was a worse fate than me being dead (though I wondered how he'd justify that to Sophie-Anne).

The more I'd come to learn about vampire politics, the more suspicious that trip to New Orleans became. He told me he'd gone there to attend a regional meeting. But, wouldn't have Eric had gone as well, then? He also said he ran for his position as area investigator, and through 'concentrated lobbying,' had won the election. _Nothing_ about vamp politics was democratic, at least as far as I could tell. Chances are he'd actually gone to request that Sophie-Anne appoint him to the position.

When it all came right on down to it, I knew it wasn't entirely his fault. He was ordered by his Queen, and it's not like he could just say "no thanks, send someone else." And, I guess I can understand why he wasn't up front and honest with me from the get go. But, there were so many times when he could've tried to explain. I'd asked him about the vamp hierarchy several times, and he could have easily started to fill me in. Instead, however, he'd dismiss the subject, or say he'd explain later. I understand that he couldn't just give a human all the details, but did he really need to leave me completely in the dark? When Eric asked for my help in finding Bill in Jackson, he'd actually seemed shocked at my ignorance of their world.

It felt so weird comparing the two of them. They really didn't have much in common. They were both male vampires living in Louisiana, and they were both interested in me. That's about where it ended though. It was like comparing apples to oranges. Sure, they're both round fruit which make juice that's great for breakfast, but that's just about it. Bill always seemed to be upset he was a vampire, that he'd much rather be human. Whereas Eric seemed to thoroughly enjoy his supernatural existence. I wonder if Bill would start to see it differently if he lived as long as Eric has. Then again, Bill is forced every night to see reminders of the life that was stolen from him. From what little Eric told me of the time around his turn, he and his maker left his home area quite quickly, and by the time he'd returned, he said the area was almost completely unrecognizable.

I came to the conclusion I couldn't put the blame entirely on Bill for the way things were between us. Sure, he was the one who was actively deceiving me, but, if I'd just stepped back and took a better look at the two of us, I probably would've figured out that _something_ was wrong. I wasn't anywhere _near_ ready to forgive him, but, I had myself to blame for the fact his charade had gone on so long.

Not for the first time, I wondered if I'd be better off dating someone who wasn't a vampire. Because of my telepathy, I wouldn't be able to stand dating a human, but, it's not like those were the only two species on the planet. After all, I did have several friends who were two-natured. Quinn was _definitely_ not an option at this point, but, then there was always Sam, or maybe Alcide.

I've known Sam for years, and we've always gotten along well. He was caring and responsible, a hard worker, and he owned his own business. Not to mention, he wasn't too bad in the looks department. But, it would just be too weird to date him. He just seems too much like a brother to me, now.

Hmmm, Alcide Herveaux. Now there was a prime example of animal magnetism, ruggedly handsome, hard-working, and successful. Plus, unlike with Quinn, I actually got along with Alcide's sister. Sure, it had made me mad he didn't believe me when I told him Debbie tried to kill me by shoving me into a car trunk with a hungry vampire. But, I sure could understand that, when you truly love someone, it's hard to believe they'd do something so vicious. It didn't really matter; Alcide and I already had too many strikes against us. He was dating someone else, anyway. Or, at least he had been the last time I spoke with him.

That brought me back to Eric. I know now that I do truly love him, but I also know that sometimes, love isn't always enough; especially if it only goes one way. Oh, I have no doubt that Eric cares for me, but I don't feel confident enough to say he loves me. I think he could, though, given time. It's no secret we've got great chemistry, and I really enjoy spending time with him. But, what kind of future could we have together? I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to become a vampire, and I know that, even if he doesn't like it, Eric respects that. Would he really want to stay with me as I continued to age, when he just stayed the same? Could I continue to allow myself to almost constantly be in danger because of who I love? No, that wasn't fair. Thanks to my telepathy, and the supernatural world's knowledge of it, I'd be in danger regardless of who I was with.

Maybe I could continue on with Eric, but keep an eye out for something better to come along? No, I just couldn't do that. I've seen Jason do that to plenty of women, and I've seen how hurt some of them have been by it. I don't like the idea of hurting someone like that, especially not someone I care about.

Thinking of Jason, and all of his failed flings (I didn't think any of them were worthy of the term 'relationship') made me take a closer look at the people in my life, the ones who were in successful relationships and the ones who'd been through countless failures. It occurred to me that so many couples were doomed because they didn't consider themselves partners. If two people really want to have a happy life together, they make decisions together. It never works when just one person takes the reigns. Sure, Eric can be pretty high-handed, but, how can I ever expect him to act differently unless I do as well? I've gotten so upset with him in the past whenever he's made decisions for me; but, I guess in a way, I've done the same. It's been pointed out to me I have a tendency to run away from my problems. By running away from an argument, I'm forcing the other person to silence; I'm taking away their choice of how to deal with the situation. I couldn't allow myself to do that anymore.

As I chewed the final bite of cake, I felt confident I'd made my choice. I would talk to Eric, and tell him that he's the one I want to be with. But, it could only work if we could truly share ourselves, and our lives, completely. Communication would be the key. It wasn't a strong point for either of us, but it was definitely something that we could work on _together_.

I took one final sip of my coffee, and pulled a few dollars out of my purse to leave on the table. I made sure to pick up the directions the kind waitress had written out for me and headed to the door. Just before I left the café, I heard her say, "Thanks for coming in honey! I sure hope I helped you find your way."

I smiled and looked back over my shoulder at her. "Oh, believe me, you most surely did."

**A/N Okay, I know I've been on major update fail lately, and believe me, I am very sorry. Sometimes, real life and writers block just force their way through. This chapter didn't do a lot as far as plot progression goes, but I figured I should probably post now, rather than wait. I can't promise that I'll update again soon, but, please know that I AM still working on this, and would never abandon it. Thanks as always to my beta Northwoman and my pre-reader JenniferAnnB for all their guidance.**


	13. Chapter 13

As I walked across the café parking lot towards my rental car, I began fishing around in my purse for my cell phone. I wouldn't feel comfortable talking on the phone while driving in a strange city, so I decided to call Eric and leave a message, even though there was still at least 20 minutes 'til sundown. I let him know I'd had some trouble finding the last archery range, but was on my way there right now. I asked him to pass that info along to Sophie-Anne so she wouldn't think I was slacking off at my job.

The waitress at the café had said it would take roughly 30 minutes to get to the range, but, traffic was pretty heavy thanks to the weather, not to mention it was rush hour. It was already full dark when I pulled into the parking lot 45 minutes later, but at least the rain had slowed to a drizzle. I parked as close to the building as I could manage, and quickly ran from the car to the awning covering the front entrance.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I got the sinking feeling I was being watched. I was about to do a quick scan for brain patterns when I noticed a posted sign stating that the entire parking lot was being monitored by surveillance equipment. At first, I thought it explained the odd feeling, but it didn't seem to lessen at all. I did a quick mind sweep of the area, and was shocked to register two voids coming from a car parked on the street in front of the building. It wasn't odd that two vampires were in a car together, but fear took hold of me as I realized their vehicle was almost a carbon copy of the one I'd driven, only with darkly tinted windows. I took a deep breath, and opened the door to the range office.

The door was thick and heavy, and I had a bit of a difficult time opening it far enough to pass through. Once I'd stepped inside however, I was hit with an overwhelming odor. I could smell the "wet penny" scent of blood, and the acidic stench of vomit. I wanted to turn and run with every fiber of my being, but, Gran hadn't raised me to be a coward.

As I walked toward the front desk, I could hear the crunching sound of broken glass under my shoes. When I looked upward to see where it had come from, I saw several security cameras had been broken. Hopefully that meant I wouldn't have to explain to the police why I was there. The horrible smell became almost overwhelming as I finally reached the front desk. From the condition of the area, it was obvious there had been quite a struggle.

The front counter came up to about two inches above my belly button, so I could see over it just by leaning into it a little. I figured that was good, because I wouldn't have to rest my hands on it and risk leaving my fingerprints. I could easily see that there was the body of a human man on the ground. His chest and neck were covered in blood, and the sightless gaze of his eyes left no question as to whether or not he was dead. I was about to turn and leave, but gasped instead when I saw a woman standing a few feet away from the man's body. The mess on the front of her shirt answered my question as to where the smell of vomit came from.

I opened my mouth to speak to her, but quickly stopped myself in favor of listening to her thoughts instead. What I heard convinced me to flee as quickly as possible. The moment I was back in my car, I locked the doors, and wiped away the tears that were still falling down my cheeks. I started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, taking note that the car I'd noticed earlier was already gone. I heard my cell phone beep, indicating that I had a new text message, but decided to wait until I was stopped before reading it. It wouldn't help the current situation if I got into an accident because I was paying more attention to my phone than to the road.

I wasn't surprised when, about 20 minutes later while I was stopped at a red light, my cell began to ring. As I pulled it from my purse, the ID said Eric was calling.

"Hello?"

"Sookie, where are you? Are you alright? You have been very frightened, and did not respond to my message."

I couldn't help but smile a little at his concern. "I'm okay, Eric. I hadn't checked the message yet because I was driving when you sent it. I'm only a couple of blocks away from the hotel, so I should be there pretty soon. Do either of us have anywhere to be right away, or do we have time to talk?"

"The judicial sessions will begin soon, but Sophie-Anne indicated she did not need for you to attend any of them. However, she will need you with her during the Commerce portion of the evening, which gives us a few hours. Did you find any information on Kyle Perkins?"

"That's one of the things I want to talk to you about. Meet me in your room in about 15?"

"Of course, Lover. I shall see you soon." He hung up without another word. Typical vampire phone etiquette!

The light turned green, and I tossed my phone on the passenger seat. I made my way into the left-turn lane to pull into the parking garage and sighed, noting there were already a few cars waiting to turn, and lots of on-coming traffic. I wasn't at all surprised to see a few protesters in the park across the way from the hotel. What did surprise me, though, was that I recognized the car that was currently pulling into the garage. It was the vehicle I'd seen parked outside the archery range. I was sure whatever vampires occupied that car, were the same ones that had done the damage at the range.

I took my time waiting for a break in traffic so I could turn into the parking garage. I figured the more time that passed, the less likely it would be that the two vampires would still be in the garage when I got there. After circling a couple of different levels, I finally found an open parking spot. Once I pulled in, I grabbed my purse, locked the car, and made my way to the hotel lobby. Since I was able to park on the second sub-level, I decided to just walk the short flight of stairs to the lobby, and then take the elevator from there up to Eric's room. I only made it two steps into the lobby, though, before I felt a cold hand grip my wrist tightly.

"Miss Stackhouse, I was wondering if I might have a word?" I reluctantly turned to face the vampire.

"Sure, Andre, what can I do for you?" I could feel my 'Crazy Sookie' smile stretching my face, but I just couldn't help it.

"I wanted to express my personal gratitude for your help in having the charges against the Queen dismissed. I'm not sure if what caused you to stand and speak during the trial was extreme bravery, or utter stupidity, but I was impressed, none the less."

As much as I detested the young-looking vampire, I could sense he was being sincere, so I nodded my head in thanks, which Andre took as his cue to continue speaking.

"I see you are just returning to the hotel. My Queen informed me Eric sent you on a mission to find more information about last night's assassin. Tell me, did you find anything of interest?"

If looks could kill, I was certain I'd be dead on the floor by now with the gaze Andre was giving me. I could feel a bit of pressure in my mind, and knew he was trying to glamour me. He knew it wouldn't work, so what was he hoping to achieve? I was trying to come up with an answer to his question when I heard Barry's voice in my mind.

'_Sookie? Can you hear me?_'

'_Barry? Yeah, I hear ya, what's up?_'

'_I'm standing by the elevators with one of the vamps from your state. Bill Compton. He said he saw you talking to a vampire, and that you look terrified. He said if you're looking for a way to get away, you can tell him that you can feel Eric calling for you. He can't stop a human from going to their bonded master._'

As much as I hated to think of Eric (or anyone, for that matter) as my 'Master,' I was relieved to be given a way out of this conversation. I had no clue how someone would look when they felt they were being 'called,' so I stood real still and kind of let my eyes go out of focus for a moment, then looked back to Andre.

"You'll have to forgive me, Andre, but Eric needs me."

I wasn't sure if I should wait for him to tell me it was okay to leave, I just **really** didn't want to be in his presence any longer. But, when I'd gotten a step away from him, I felt his hand latch-on to my wrist. I froze instantly, and tried not to let him see how much it bothered me when he dipped his head down to put his mouth next to my ear.

"Run along now, little fairy. But don't worry; we'll be seeing more of each other later."

I went as quickly as I could to the elevator without actually running. I wasn't surprised to see Bill waiting there for me, even though Barry wasn't around anymore. What **did** surprise me, though, was that Bill's presence actually made me feel a little safer.

We both stayed silent until we were alone in the elevator. Bill reached up and pushed the button for Eric's floor before turning his attention to me.

"You'll need to go to Eric's floor, just in case Andre is paying attention to where the elevator stops."

"That's where I was headed, anyway. He's expecting me, so we can go over what I found while I was out and about in Rhodes today."

"Did you have any trouble finding your way? I trust the GPS system was helpful?"

I laughed a little. "Oh yeah, it was awesome. Up until it tried to convince me to drive into Lake Michigan, that is!" A confused look came across his face, but I waved my hand a bit as if to say never mind. "Listen, Bill, I appreciate what you did downstairs to help me get away from Andre. I don't know what his deal is, but he just gives me the creeps."

"As always, it is my pleasure to assist you in any way that I can."

The elevator doors chose that moment to open, and I was glad that I didn't need to respond to Bill's comment. Unfortunately, Eric was now standing directly in front of us, and didn't look at all happy to see that I'd been alone with Bill.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes moving back and forth between Bill and I.

"I'm fine. I just got cornered in the lobby by Andre, and Bill sort of came to my rescue."

Eric's eyebrows rose, giving his face an odd look of surprise.

"Well, you're safe now," he said, pulling me into his arms. He held me for a moment, and then looked at Bill over the top of my mind. "Compton, shouldn't you be preparing for this evening's judicial sessions?" I wasn't sure what Eric was talking about, but, I could tell he was more or less dismissing Bill.

"Actually, Bill, if you're not in a hurry, I was hoping to speak with the both of you in private."

Bill and Eric each fixed each other with a dirty look, and held still like only vampires could. Finally, after about 20 seconds (that felt like 20 minutes) Eric said the three of us could all talk in his room. I didn't want to go into any details in the hallway where just about anyone could hear us, but I also couldn't stand the silent tension we all felt. So, as we made our way to the room, I told them all about my experiences with the car's GPS system.

Once we were in the room, Eric and I sat on the edge of his bed, and Bill sat on the bed opposite us. I told them that while the first two archery ranges didn't have any answers, the third was completely different. When I told them what I'd stumbled upon, I could hear Eric softly growling, and almost felt chilled by how cold Bill's eyes had become.

"What was it that you saw when you looked into her mind, Sookie?" Bill asked.

I stood up and began pacing between the two beds. "Nothing," I said. "That's what made it so scary. Her mind was so blank, I'm surprised she was conscious!"

"What do you mean, it was blank?" Eric asked.

I turned and looked at Bill. "The only other time I've seen something like this was in Dallas. When we were at Stan's house and they brought in the bouncer from their club. I told you and Stan that a big part of his personality was missing."

Bill nodded, recalling the incident. "As if someone had removed a memory via glamour, but did not alter or replace it," he explained, probably as much for Eric as for me.

"But this was much, much worse. It wasn't just a portion of her mind, it was the whole thing! I honestly don't understand how she could still be alive."

"And you say there was a car with two vampires parked in front of the building when you arrived?" Eric asked, and I nodded. "It's my guess they were the ones to do the job."

"Um, there's something else as well," I said softly. "The car was the same make and model as the one I was in, but with tinted window. I saw it pull into the hotel parking garage only a couple of minutes before I did. And, Andre was waiting for me just inside the lobby when I got here."

Bill nodded slightly and looked directly at Eric. Eric responded, "Andre and Sigebert did leave the hotel shortly after I informed Sophie-Anne that Sookie was still gone. Leaving the woman unharmed physically, but completely erasing her mind does sound like something he'd do, sadistic bastard that he is."

"Yes, it does. I would imagine Sigebert waited in the car, and somehow gave Andre a signal when he saw Sookie's car approaching," Bill added.

"So what do we do now?" I asked them both.

"Nothing," was Eric's answer. I turned and opened my mouth to argue with him, but he held up his hand in the universal gesture for 'Stop.'

"Sookie, I know it goes against your nature to leave this alone, because you want justice for the two archery employees. But nothing we do will bring them back. The only result I can see coming from pursuing this is to get Andre even more interested in you than he already is. I won't risk your life for this."

I closed my eyes and balled my hands into fists. I forced myself to concentrate on calming down when every single one of my natural instincts were telling me to leave the room. I promised myself I would stop running away from my problems, and it seemed this was my first test. I was angry at Eric for trying to make the decision for me, but just kept telling myself that really was just trying to do what would keep me safe. After a moment or two, I opened my eyes to see both Bill and Eric looking at me.

"Fine," I said. "I don't like it, but I'm going to accept that you know Andre better than I do, and know more about how he would react if I tried to dig deeper."

Bill looked absolutely shocked. Eric looked skeptical. "Really? You're actually going to take my advice in this situation?" When I nodded, Eric laughed, shot me a playful look and said "Who are you and what have you done with my Sookie?"

"Oh, ha ha ha," I said sarcastically. "But, that's actually the other thing I wanted to talk to you both about. When I stopped at a little café to get coffee and directions to the third range, I took some time to really think about things. I know I have a tendency to walk away from difficult situations. I also know that I've accused both of you of being high-handed for making decisions for me, when really you were just using your knowledge of the supernatural world to my advantage. I can't say I'm suddenly going to change, but, I do promise to do my best.

"Bill, I can tell you I am DEFINITELY not ready to forgive you. But, I can see it happening somewhere down the line. I still feel really betrayed that you lied to me from day one. Honestly, I realize if Sophie-Anne gave you an order, you had to follow it. And I don't blame you for that. But, there were several times when you purposely kept me in the dark, and I do blame you for that. Maybe if I'd paid better attention, I would've picked up on the clues and the signs that you were lying earlier on, and that's my own damn fault.

"You tell me that you really did love me, but there's no way I can know that for sure."

"Sookie, I," Bill began to break in.

"No, please, let me finish. I will never truly know whether or not you were telling the truth, but I think that you were. I need you to understand that, regardless of how you feel, I will NEVER be in love with you, ever again. I can't say I'll hate you for the rest of my life, but you will never again have my love. Can't you see that the only reason Gran was killed was because I dating you? Rene wouldn't have come after me if I wasn't with you, and my poor Grandmother paid the ultimate price for that. It's not your fault, and I don't blame you for what he did to her. But that doesn't change it, either. And that is something I will NEVER forget."

I finally stopped pacing, and sat down next to Eric, resting my hand on his thigh.

"Bill, you know Eric and I are bonded, now. And, although we were sort of forced into it, I need you to understand it's not something you, or anyone else for that matter, need to rescue me from. I may not fully understand it, but with what I do know, I'm okay with it. I may not have chosen to form a blood bond with Eric, but, he is the man I choose to share my life with right now. Whether our relationship lasts ten days or ten years is up to us, and us alone. Not only do you have no say in that, but really, it's not even any of your business. That being said, though, I knew you'd hear about it eventually. I wanted you to hear straight from me that I am with Eric because he makes me happy, not because anyone is forcing me. I'm not asking you to be happy about it, but, I am asking you to accept it."

Through our bond, I could feel how proud of me Eric was. He didn't let it show on his face, however, as we waited in silence for Bill's reaction. After a few moments, he stood and made his way to the door.

"Sookie, I appreciate your honesty with me. As much as I hate to admit it, I can see in your eyes that you really ARE happy with Eric. And, although I'd much rather it be with me, I do want you to be happy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be on my way to the judicial sessions."

He turned and left without another word.

The moment the door closed behind him, Eric turned to look at me and cupped my cheek with his hand.

"Are you sure you are alright after your encounter with Andre earlier?"

"I'm still a little shaken up, but I'll be okay."

"Please tell me IMMEDIATELY if he approaches you again. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

I turned my head a little to kiss the palm of his hand and smiled.

"Now that it's just the two of us, I wanted to talk to you more about my little soul-searching adventure," I said.

Eric's smile took over his entire face. "Yes, I must admit I was surprised and impressed with how you handled Compton."

"I meant every word I said to him, Eric. I can't blame him for what the Queen made him do, but that doesn't mean I have to like the way he went about doing it. But it's in the past now, and if I allow it to keep bothering me, it'll just fester. I don't want to be THAT girl; the one who lives alone with her 12 cats, mumbling to herself about how her first love did her wrong and ruined her whole life. I want to move on. I NEED to move on. And, I want to do it with you.

"I know there are things you're not going to be able to tell me. I just ask that you please acknowledge that rather than lie to me outright. We're not always going to see eye to eye, because, let's face it, you and I come from very different worlds, and that's okay. Even if I absolutely hate your opinion on something, I'm going to do my best to at least hear you out. I want to try and understand why you feel the way you do, and I really need you to try to do the same.

"That being said, we both know that sometimes, no matter how much I hate it, I'm gonna have to just suck it up and do what you tell me to; ESPECIALLY when it comes to things in the supe world. But, whenever possible, please try to at least explain things to me, rather than just be high-handed and make decisions for me."

Eric smiled and chuckled a little.

"I will do my best, Lover."

Hearing him call me lover made me remember the way he was when he was cursed and staying in my cubby hole.

"Eric, I'm going to ask you something, and no matter how you think I'll react, I want you to answer me honestly, okay?"

He looked weary, but nodded and gestured for me to continue.

"Even though you don't remember it, there was a conversation we had while you were cursed. It was just before we left my house for Shreveport the evening of the big showdown with the witches. You said that when you searched deep down inside yourself, you knew you had feelings for me. You said it wasn't love, exactly, but something kind of close."

He slowly began running his hands up and down my arms in a soothing manner. I was sure he could sense my hesitation to ask my actual question.

"I'm not going to ask if you love me, Eric. But, what I would like to know is whether or not you think you could, someday?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, but the silence wasn't at all uncomfortable. I could tell he was trying to decide how to best say what he was thinking and feeling.

"When I was a human, life was very different than it is now. Although sometimes couples married for love, it wasn't the norm. When I married, it was because my brother died, and we needed a way to keep our families connected, so I married his widow, Aude. She was a good woman, and was an excellent mother to our children. Although I do not think I was ever **in love** with her, I was fond of her. I cared for her, and for our children. I was still young when Aude and our youngest child caught a fever. They died within a few hours of each other. It was not long after her death that I was turned.

"There are many things I have felt for my maker over the centuries, some good, some bad, but I do know that it has never been love. Many years after he released me, I made my first child. She and I were together for a little under 200 years before I released her to be on her own. I enjoyed her companionship, and am proud of how she turned out, but I would not call what we shared love.

"Then, I met Pamela. I was drawn to her from the first moment I saw her. Not only because I found her to be beautiful, although I most certainly did. I watched her from a distance for some time, never letting her see me. Finally, one night after she'd met secretly with a young man, I found her quietly trying to sneak back into her house. I saw my opportunity, and I took it. When she rose as my child, I held her and explained her new life to her. She was not at all afraid, or upset that the life she knew was over. She immersed herself in discovering the ins and outs of being a vampire, and she adapted amazingly quick. She is one of the greatest accomplishments of my long life. I released her many, many years ago, only asking that she come to help me set up Fangtasia. She knows she is free to leave again, but she has chosen to stay. She is a wonderful companion.

"I do not tell you any of this to compare you to another. But, rather to help you to see the ones I have held dearest in my life. Although I have cared for them all, deeply, it is not in the same way that I care for you. Sookie, I cannot say whether or not I love you, because I am not sure I truly recognize what love is. I care for you more than I've ever cared for another. If I could truly fall in love with someone, I am positive it would be with you. I only ask that you give me time to understand it all."

It took every ounce of willpower I had not to cry, because I was so touched by what he'd just said. But, I knew how he felt about crying women.

"Eric," I said softly, "I want you to know I'm not saying this with any expectations of when you might be able to say it back. But, Eric Northman, I love you."

He smiled brightly as I spoke. But, I didn't have time to smile back at him before his lips crashed into mine. He kissed me over and over, until I absolutely had to break away in order to draw a breath. He didn't stop kissing me though, he just moved his mouth along my jaw to my ear, then began moving down my neck.

"How much time do we have before I need to meet Sophie-Anne downstairs for the commerce stuff?" I asked once I'd had a chance to catch my breath.

"About two hours," he said, lightly scraping his fangs against my collarbone, making me shiver all over.

"Well, in that case," I said, "we'd better make the most of our time," and pulled him down on top of me.

**A/N I am very sorry that it's been almost 4 months since my last update on this story, and am grateful that people are still reading it. We're in the home stretch, only a few more chapters to go. As always, thanks to my beta Northwoman, and my pre-reader JenniferAnnB for their help.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Okay, I know it's been a little over 9 months since I've updated. I really am sorry for that, but, as other authors know, sometimes real life just kicks your butt and takes all of your time and attention. I'm a single parent of a 5-year old boy with an autism disorder. It also doesn't help that my father was admitted to the hospital with a painful kidney stone too large to pass, and after the procedure to break it up, had a stroke, revealing a hole in his heart. He had heart surgery, as well as a month-long stay at a rehab center. Now, since a stroke means he loses his license, I've been a full-time parent, along with a part-time chauffeur, part-time maid, part-time yard worker, and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, the stress of all of this killed off what little attention I was getting from my muse. I can't make any promises regarding when I'll post again, but I can promise that I WILL update, this story will not die!**

**Now, to recap our story so far:**

**Instead of dating only Quinn, Sookie decided to allow both Quinn and Eric 'court' her. Things go a bit differently for her in New Orleans as a result. While in Rhodes, she finds out that Quinn had been involved with the Pelts plans to have her abducted. He did it because he wanted her to see him as her hero. He doesn't deny his involvement, and she tells him that it's over between them. While she is out and about in Rhodes looking for archery ranges (alone, Barry does not go with her), she gets lost and stops at a café for directions. While having a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, she thinks long and hard about the men in her life. She realizes that she can't blame Bill for what the Queen commanded him to do, but he should have told her the truth at some point in time. She tells him that she ignored signs of his treachery all throughout their relationship. Although she will never love him again, she tells him she hopes they can be friends. She also tells Eric that she knows she is in love with him. He tells her that he's not sure what love is, so he can't say he loves her. But, he tells her that if he were ever able to fall in love, it would be with her, and he needs time to understand his feelings. They make love. Now….on with the show!**

After two blissful rounds of love-making, I left Eric's room and made my way back to my own. I pulled my hair up, took a quick shower, and put on a fresh outfit. I grabbed a small notepad and a pen, deciding I might need them to take notes on whatever business Sophie-Anne needed me for. When I stepped off the elevator into the lobby, I was surprised to see quite a few humans gathered together around a television. I was too far away to make out any details on the screen, but I did see the words 'Breaking News' along the bottom. I was curious about what was going on, but, figured if it was anything terribly important, the vampires would probably be paying attention as well. Since they weren't, I figured it could wait.

I made my way back into the convention hall where several booths were still set up. It looked like some of them had been taken down, however, and replaced with regular tables and chairs. Various vamps were sitting at the tables, doing business I assume, while their human employees stood either behind them or off to the side. I had just spotted Sophie-Anne at a table with Sigebert standing behind her when I felt a cold hand grip my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that my visitor was Andre. It took all my self-control to not shrug my shoulder to try to force his hand off me as he slowly began to lead me to Sophie-Anne.

He quickly, and very quietly, explained how we'd be making this work. I would sit to the left of Sophie-Anne, with Andre standing just behind me, slightly to my right. That way, he could keep track of me, while still appearing to be exclusively guarding the queen. I was instructed to take notes on everything that was not said aloud, no matter how insignificant I thought it was. If there was something particularly important, Andre told me to fidget a little, or readjust my position in my chair, and underline what he needed to know. My fidgeting would signal him to look at my notepad, while seeming like just a human gesture to the other vampires.

When we reached the table Sophie-Anne sat at, Andre pointed to the empty chair and simply said, "Sit." I felt like asking if he'd scratch behind my ears since he was intent on making me feel like a dog. However, remembering Eric's comment about Andre's sadistic ways kept my mouth firmly shut.

I spent the next three hours listening to various business proposals made to Sophie-Anne. A few were worth considering, and a few others were just terrible ideas. It made me sort of sad though that the majority of the proposals were people trying to get something for nothing. Like the vampire who wanted to provide a bazillion feet of board lumber to help rebuild New Orleans in exchange for 2 percent of Sophie-Anne's next 5 years' revenue. On the surface, it sounded like a good plan, until the vampire's accountant starting thinking about the horrible quality of the lumber.

When all was said and done, there wasn't much I'd had to 'signal' Andre to read right away, but a few things I needed to talk to Sophie-Anne about. Just as we reached the door to her suite, Sophie-Anne decided to send Andre back down to the conference room to get some information from Bill, who'd been busy selling his database. Sigebert still stood guard outside the room, so it was just the queen and I inside.

As Sophie-Anne sat herself down on the comfortable looking sofa, she spoke. "There is a mini-fridge on the bar containing bottles of water. You may help yourself to one, as well as the bowl of fruit sitting on the counter." I was surprised at how hospitable she was being, and thanked her while I grabbed a bottle of water and an apple. She smiled and simply shook her head when I asked if she would like me to heat a bottle of blood for her. Guess she'd indulged in one of the donors already this evening.

"Miss Stackhouse," she said once I was sitting across from her, "before we discuss the information you have for me, I would like to offer you an apology, and an explanation. As you know, Andre is my oldest child, and has been with me for centuries. He never fails to do anything that I require; however, his methods are not always to my liking."

I was so stunned that I almost choked on a bite of my apple. Sophie-Anne waited until I'd finished coughing before she continued.

"As I'm sure you have already discovered, I am able to communicate telepathically with my children. All vampires have a talent, or gift, that they develop when they are turned. My ability to keep my children close to me, and communicate silently with them, is my gift. The first night of the summit, during the wedding ceremony between Mississippi and Indiana, Andre and I stood in the back, having our own silent conversation. We discussed how impressed I was with your services, and how beneficial it would be if you were somehow bound to us. A short while later, I was speaking with Cataliades about the possibility of drawing up an official contract with you. We could exchange your use as a telepath for a generous salary, and a health-benefits package." She said health-benefits package like she'd never heard the term before that very moment.

"When Andre returned to my side, he informed me you and Eric had formed a blood-bond. I was intrigued by this news, because I'd been told you're still spending time with Quinn, as well as Eric. I wondered aloud what would push you to choose Eric over the tiger. When Andre told me he'd forced you to bond with Eric, because you were less than pleased at the idea of drinking Andre's blood, I admit, I was torn.

"At first, I could not understand why you would turn down such a gift as Andre's blood. He is very old, so his blood is powerful. However, I then remembered what both Bill and Eric have said about you in the past. They have both said you are a very strong, independent woman, and do not enjoy being controlled by others. I would not want the quality of your work to lessen simply because you were upset that Andre could influence you. Do you remember the story I told you of how I was turned?" I nodded, remembering her sad tale. "I also am not fond of others telling me what I can or cannot do with my own body, or what I should or should not feel. Also, I know that modern women often enjoy being seen as somewhat mysterious to others." She had a sort of wistful grin on her face that transformed everything about her, making her incredibly gorgeous. But, all too soon, it was gone.

"Sookie, I am not happy with the way Andre acted. To be completely honest with you, I am more than pleased that you are now tied so closely to one of my sheriff's, but I truly regret it was forced, and in such a confusing way. I offer my apologies for the added stress it caused you, and would like to do something for you in exchange."

I think my eyebrows must've hit the ceiling; the look of surprise had to be so plain on my face! Sophie-Anne smiled, and almost giggled at me before she continued.

"I can see that you realize this is not an offer I make lightly, so I hope you recognize the…_sincerity_ of it. Eric cares for you deeply, I can tell. And, although I don't quite understand it, I respect that he seems to be very open and honest with you. However, I also realize he will, on occasion, keep things from you. Though I doubt he would outright lie to you, I believe there are things he would not disclose if he thought harm might come to you simply for knowing them.

"So, I offer you this: If there is anything about your connection to Eric, or myself, that you do not understand, you are free to come to me with your questions. I am more than willing to help you understand, as long as my schedule allows us the chance to talk. But, do remember that while Eric will always try to spare your feelings, I will not, instead giving you full disclosure. You should remember the old human phrase….oh what is it? Ah, yes. '_Be careful what you wish for._'"

Anything I might have said to her at that moment would have to wait, as the door to the suite opened and Andre walked in. Once he took his place next to her on the sofa, we began to discuss the various things I'd learned while she was conducting business downstairs.

When we had finally finished, it was only about 90 minutes before dawn. I was bone tired, but knew I needed to see Eric. Not only because I loved him and craved his company, but because I desperately wanted to tell him about my strange conversation with his queen.

Just as I was approaching Eric's room, the door opened, and a strange woman walked out. She was a little taller than me, and had long, curly brown hair. She was very pretty, but dressed a little conservatively. In a way, she reminded me a bit of Amelia. She smiled and nodded to me, showing that she had good manners. As she passed me, I took a chance and let myself listen to her thoughts. I immediately regretted that decision.

She was remembering the last 30 or so minutes of her evening. She was a registered donor, and was told her services were needed. When she'd arrived at the assigned room, she was very surprised to see both a male and female vampire present. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen, but, decided to 'go with the flow.' She'd definitely experienced something she'd never done before. She'd been told to sit on the bed with her back against the pillows, hike her skirt up, and spread her legs. It was a somewhat novel sensation, having a female vampire drink from her in such an intimate place, while a male vampire sat only a few feet away typing away on his computer, acting as if everything was perfectly normal. Just when it seemed that things were going to take a much more sexual turn, the male vampire had mumbled something about someone coming. The female vampire had thanked her, paid her (giving her a very generous tip) and told her she was free to leave.

I blinked a few times to try and get the woman's visual memories out of my mind. It was very hard not to giggle when Pam opened the door a moment later, looking nice and rosy. "`Rhodes keeping you well fed, Pam?" I asked as I stepped past her into the room.

She licked her lips and smiled, and I noticed her fangs were still out. "Absolutely, my friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find somewhere else to be so my maker can have a pleasant end to his evening as well." She left the room, and this time I didn't even TRY to hide my laugh.

Eric walked across the room to where I was standing; moving slower than most humans would, letting me appreciate how good he looked in his suit. When he reached me, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply. When he lifted his head, all I could do was sigh in pleasure, causing him to laugh a bit himself.

"Did everything go well with the queen, my lover?" he asked.

"More or less. There weren't any real big problems, just a few people wanting the queen to pay big bucks for shoddy work."

"Ahh, greed. Nothing out of the ordinary then." We laughed a bit together as he led me to a couch. He sat me down at one end, and sat himself at the other. He quickly pulled legs up onto his lap, removed my shoes, and began to massage my feet. I closed my eyes for a moment and let myself experience pure bliss. After a moment of silence, in which I started to drowse, he began to speak.

"My lover, since you were busy downstairs with the queen, I am assuming you have not yet heard the news. It seems there was a double-murder at an archery range downtown." I opened my eyes and sat up a little straighter, letting him know he had my full attention. "What the human media has reported is that someone broke into the main office, killed the two on-duty employees, and then lit the building on fire. By the time a passer-by was able to alert the fire department, the damage to the building was too extensive, and they were unable to recover any evidence. At this point, the local police have only one suspect, who appears to be missing; a disgruntled former employee by the name of Kyle Perkins."

"So, whoever did this covered their tracks."

"Most of their tracks, as it were. After our conversation earlier, I asked Compton to keep an eye on Andre while you were with the queen. He was downstairs, still trying to sell his database, and had a good view of the table you were at. Not long after the three of you had left, he saw Andre leaving the preparing to leave the building alone. Due to his work on the database, Bill knew Andre has never taken the time to learn much about modern technology. He stopped Andre for a moment saying he had totals for the evening's sales. What Andre did not know was that Bill slipped a small recording device on his clothing.

"When Andre left here, he went back to the archery range, which had indeed all but burned to the ground. There were not many allowed to enter what remained. Andre glamoured the investigators and fed them the story that went out on the news. So, now we know for certain it was him who had been there before you."

"I hate to say it, but that doesn't surprise me at all. _Especially_ after the conversation Sophie-Anne and I had while Andre was gone." I filled him in on the details of my conversation with the queen. He was intrigued by her confession that she does not always agree with Andre's methods, but enjoys the results. He was impossible to read when I told him about Sophie's offer.

"Eric, what are you thinking?" I asked. "Even now that I can feel your emotions, I'm lost."

He softly put my feet (which he'd still been rubbing) back on the floor, stood, and began to pace. "I am, frustrated, that she has again bypassed me on something she should have involved me in. As a vampire, and her sheriff, this angers me." He turned to look at me, and his expression softened. "However, as someone who cares very deeply for you, it is nice to know you have friends in such high places."

I smiled at him as I approached him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and laid my head on my chest. His hand came up and began to stroke my back. "I like that she's offered to answer my questions, since to her I'm just some lowly human. But, I don't know that I'd ever take her up on her offer."

"It would probably be for the best if you did not. But, you must still make sure she knows you are grateful for that offer, all the same."

"Hmmm," I said, before my mouth was taken over by a large yawn.

"You are tired, Lover. It has been a very eventful day for you. As much as I would enjoy holding you as you sleep, perhaps it would be best if you went back to your own room. I spoke with Gervaise earlier, and he gave me the impression that your roommate will be staying with him for the day, so you will have the room to yourself."

As nice as having him hold me sounded, he was right, I needed to sleep, and being in bed with Eric usually led to more. I kissed him and made my way back to my own room, in a bit of a daze. I changed into some lounge pants and a tank top before falling into bed. I was asleep by the time my head hit the pillow.


End file.
